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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

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"Caught In The Storm" *Part 3*

Ok I'm gonna keep posting parts until I get tired, you guys stagger it how you need to. Lulz.

I'm going to cut them up to make an even amount of chapters dammit.

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Part 4

----

The next night you were backstage getting ready when Kelsey came up to you.

“Oh my God it's a full house!” she squealed, jumping up and down wildly.

“Are you serious? Maybe I can't do this.” You twirled your hair nervously.

“Are you kidding?” She crossed her arms. ” This is what you've literally been dreaming about since you were 12 years old.

“Yeah I know, but somehow I pictured it differently,” You shrugged.

“Did you picture yourself being surrounded by friends and family?” She asked.

“Maybe…”

“Well then I have good news for you!!” She giggled.

“What…”you asked curiously.

Stacy took your hand and led you to the front of the curtain and peered it back a little. Out in the audience you could see the entire squad and Kenny waiting for you, and Rafael was with them.

“Oh my God oh my God!!” You squealed. “I can't believe they came,”

“Why wouldn't they? They're still your family,” Kelsey reminded you.

“Yeah.. don't remind me,” You sighed, remembering Rafael was now supposed to be “family”.

The lights flickered telling you you were about to go on 5 minutes. Suddenly, you were more excited than you’d ever been.

----

After the song you walked off stage and met Kelsey who was grinning wildly.

“Do you hear them?!” She had to yell over the applause. “You’re a star!!!”

“Oh please…” You rolled your eyes, but secretly loved it. You quickly grabbed some water and returned onstage to finish your set.

-----

“Alright Baby Girl, let’s go see your adoring fans,” Kelsey grinned as you both walked from backstage into the club. Several people started surrounding you, complimenting you and asking for your autograph for when you became famous. You were stunned and flattered, but all you wanted was to see your family. You finally spotted them and excused yourself from the madness.

You didn't know why you were so nervous walking up to the table. These were your family members, remember? They had known you forever! Well, most of them anyway. They loved you and cared about you and wanted only the best for you. They were your best friends.

And yet, you were still shaking as you rounded the corner, seeing them at their table. They were all laughing and joking when you noticed Rafael was silent and pensive. They all stopped talking and turned to you excitedly when they saw you coming.

“Oh my God baby girl, you did such a good job!” Fin wrapped you in an enormous hug before you could even say anything.

"Thanks Daddy," You gave him a small hug back, then increased the pressure; you really had missed him.

“That was amazing. Princess,” Olivia gave you a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Thanks Mama Livvy,” you smiled.

Amanda, Nick and Sonny all exchanged similar expressions of admiration and celebration giving you hugs and love. Then you made your way to Rafael. There was a long awkward pause between the two of you as the other members of the squad watched in anticipation.

“You were really wonderful up there tonight,” Rafael said softly with a smile.

“Thanks. And thank you all for coming,” You quickly addressed the rest of them, ignoring the fact you were focused on Rafael. Before anyone else could say anything, you continued.

“I want to apologize to all of you,” you finally said after a moment.

“I was wrong and upset last week, but I should have handled it more like an adult,” You took a deep breath and continued, trying not to look at Rafael.

“Rafael and I discussed it, and we both feel different ways about each other. And I need to accept that, and be a grown up about it.” You glanced at him, he was shifting uncomfortably as you spoke. You stuck out your hand to him:

“Friends?”

He looked at your hand for a long while, as if he was pondering what to say. Finally he stuck at his hand and shook yours softly.

“Friends…” He smiled sadly. His hand felt so warm in yours, so right. Like it fit there perfectly; But that didn't matter now. After a moment you turn to the rest of the squad and broke the handshake awkwardly, running your hands through your hair.

Suddenly Kyle and Sandy came rushing over.

That was amazing, YN! You are even better than I thought you were!” Sandy exclaimed. “

“We definitely made the best choice,” Kyle added.

“So who is this…?” Sandy asked as she sighted your diverse group.

“Oh this is my family,” You smiled.

“Really…? She asked questionably.

“Adoptive family,” Olivia smiled, taking her hand.

“Oh well sure yeah, that makes sense,” Kyle nodded. “This is New York City after all,”

“....Anyway,” Sandy said turning back to you. "I just wanted to let you know that this club is, I don't want to brag, gaining some pretty big traction and a lot of talent agents and scouts tend to have drinks here,”

“Oh my God,” you gasped, looking at your group. “Seriously?”

“Don't worry I won't tell you when they're in the audience so you don't freak out,” She laughed. “But I'm just saying, you could definitely be going somewhere,'' she added with a smile.

“Well on that note, let's go celebrate baby girl,” Fin smiled as he threw an arm around you, and you all walked out arm in arm excited.

----

The next few weeks were fine but...off?

Usually you and Rafael would text everyday, no matter what. Whether it was friendly greetings, or memes you would send him and he wouldn't understand because he's so old, or if one of you was having a bad day the other one would cheer them up.

But since that night at the Supper Club, it had been radio silence between the two of you. Nothing malicious about it, it just hurt too much to talk to him; and you figured it was too awkward for him on his end.

One day however, you went to the station to drop off lunch for the squad from your restaurant that you worked part-time at. It was their favorite restaurant, and whenever you could, you would sneak them free meals.

“Woo hoo, food's here!” Sunny exclaimed, practically jumping over his desk. If anything, Sonny was the foodie out of the group.

You smiled and laughed as he took the food from you and began passing it out. You exchanged greetings between everyone, giving Fin a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Just then Olivia came out of her office with Rafael. You turned and stopped suddenly.

“Oh”, you said nervously. “I didn't know you’d be here.”

“Oh? Are you avoiding me?” He asked curiously, making the whole squad stop and non-subtly listening to the conversation.

“No!” You cried.“ I just meant I didn't bring you food,” you gestured to the rest of the team who was going back to their food pretending not to listen.

“Oh.. right,” He nodded his head and turned to Liv. “We can talk about this later,” He referenced their meeting, then turned to you with a sad smile.

“I guess I'll talk to you later,” And with that he started to walk away.

You couldn't take it anymore. You had to say something. You excused yourself and ran after him.

“Rafael! Wait!” Rafael stopped and looked up to the sky with a hopeful expression before turning to you with a straight face.

“Yeah, what's up?”

“Um... You know we haven't had dinner in a while, do you maybe want to get together later this week?” You bit your lip nervously.

“As friends,” he quickly added.

“Yeah...obviously,” you sputtered like that was completely your point. You swore you saw his face fall a little when you said that.

“I know this bar that just opened a little ways from my office, it's kind of a watering hole for lawyers now. if you don't mind being surrounded by a bunch of them, I've been meaning to try it out. He laughed.

“Yeah totally, sounds good. I have next Wednesday night off if that works for you,” you smiled.

Absolutely, whatever you want I'm free, I'm yours,” He said rather quickly, then blushed. “I mean sure whatever,”

“Awesome,” you smiled awkwardly running your hands through your hair.

He knew you so well that he knew that was your nervous tick. He wanted so badly to take you in his arms and...he pushed the thought from his mind.

You couldn't take the silence much longer so you started to just walk away, when he softly opened his arms. You slowly wrapped your arms around his neck and he enclosed his limbs around your waist, pulling you tighter into him.

You both just stood there in each other's arms for a bit too long. Finally he realized what he was doing, and he broke the embrace awkwardly.

“Well I guess I'll see you later then,” he said rather quickly and nervously before he bolted out the door.

What the hell was that?

#rafael barba #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba x you #rafael barba imagine #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #law and order svu fanfiction #caught in the storm

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

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Skyline Manor by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 11/13

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Chapter 11: All I See is You

Emma woke up and stared at the text message she received the night before. She didn’t know what to make of the request from Killian to meet her tonight. She wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about that he couldn’t just come over and tell her now. Why would he need to wait until 7pm to meet her on the roof?

She tried to stay busy throughout the day, cleaning her house, making her grocery list for the following week, while also fielding calls from her brother to find out how she was doing after her relationship with Graham had ended. He couldn’t understand what had gone wrong, but then Emma knew he had been too caught up in the possibility of Emma settling down that he never once stopped to ask her if Graham actually made her happy. Emma couldn’t fault him for that, she should have stopped and asked herself that question before it got to a place where Graham found himself on one knee in front of their friends.

Honestly, Emma hadn’t felt more at ease since ending things with Graham. She knew she could have just told him she wasn’t ready to get married without ending the relationship, but when he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him, she knew that it wasn’t just getting married to Graham that she was unable to do, it was in that moment that she knew being with him at all wasn’t right for her.

That evening, she wasn’t worried about her own feelings; she had mourned the destruction of her relationship with a glass of wine and a bar of chocolate. She was more concerned about Henry. She hated taking away yet another father figure from his life. However, the boy hardly seemed phased, and she realized that perhaps Henry wasn’t as taken with Graham as she wanted him to be.

“So, things seem to be going well with Belle.” Emma tried to ask without sounding too interested in how Killian’s ex was doing with her new relationship.

“Well enough that she’s not going back to him, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He teased.

“What?” Emma asked in shock. “My statement wasn’t about Killian. I just wanted to know how my best friend was doing with his new relationship.”

“Well then, your best friend is doing amazing. She’s bloody brilliant Em.” Emma could tell that Will was smitten with Belle. He hadn’t stopped smiling since they started going out and she loved seeing the smile permanently on his face. Will deserved someone who treated him as special as she had always seen him.

“I’m happy for you.” She responded, trying not to feel a pit of sadness forming in her stomach. She was happy for him, she just wondered if she would ever feel as happy as he did.

“Killian seems pretty happy for Belle, too. He even gave me some advice on her favorite foods and flowers so that I could cook for her this weekend.”

“That’s odd.” She chuckled.

“Not really, I mean the way Belle tells me, they never really had a serious relationship. They seem like really good friends though.”

Emma nervously cleaned the table, putting the dirty dishes into the sink, she looked down at her watch and realized it was almost 7pm. “Can you watch Henry for a little bit, I need to do something.”

“Yeah, everything alright?” Will asked.

“Oh yeah, I won’t be long.” Emma left the apartment and made her way to the roof, anxiety and curiosity starting to build up in her mind.

~*~

Killian wasn’t sure what Emma would need to discuss with him or why the need to wait until evening.

He had been surprised to find out that she declined Graham’s marriage proposal, but Henry didn’t seem to know anything about his mother’s text asking to meet with him. He resisted responding to her after he tried four different responses, none being satisfactory. In the end he opted to just leave the phone sitting on the counter. He would simply show up at 7pm and hope for the best.

At around 6:30, he found he could no longer sit in his apartment watching the clock. Instead, he headed to the roof to wait for Emma.

At 7:05 she walked through the door; an anxious worry written all over her face.

“Hey.”

“Hello, Swan.” He greeted the woman when she approached him.

“So…” She said as if she was waiting for him to start the conversation.

“What is the reason for all the secrecy?”

“Secrecy?” Her eyes narrowed. “You tell me.”

Killian chuckled. “I haven’t a clue, I assumed you would know the reason you asked me here.”

“I asked you here?”

“Aye.”

She shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. You asked me to meet you.”

“I can assure you I did no such thing, love.”

Emma dug into her pocket, producing her phone, a nervous laugh leaving her lips. “I’m not crazy.” She mumbled under her breath. “See, right here.” She held up the phone and Killian squinted to read the message on the screen. When he saw it came from him, he reached out and grabbed the phone from her hands.

“No that’s not possible.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his own phone, finding his message from Emma and holding it to her. “You can clearly see that you sent me the message last night.”

Emma looked at the two phones. “What the hell.”

“How is this possible?”

“I haven’t a clue, love. But it appears that someone is messing with us.”

“Who would do that? Besides, who has access to both of our phones?” Emma asked.

They both looked up at each other simultaneously and spoke. “Henry.”

“But why would the lad send this message?”

“I don’t know, but I’m about to go find out.” Emma said angrily, turning to leave when suddenly the boy in question appeared in the doorway. “Henry. We need to talk.”

“Sorry mom, I love you a lot but you’re too stubborn for your own good. You and Killian need to talk.” He looked at Killian. “You both need to stop running from each other. Killian, you don’t have to be alone, but you need to believe that you are worthy of being loved. And mom, true love can conquer anything, but you have to be willing to open yourself up to it.”

“Henry David Swan, this is not one of your fairytales, you can’t just…”

“Love you guys. I’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, the door slammed shut.

~*~

Henry pulled the door shut, turning the lock, effectively trapping his mother and Killian on the roof.

“Are you sure about this kid?”

Henry turned around, sitting on the step next to Will. “Mom always needs a little push when it comes to being honest with herself.” There was a bang on the door behind him and he heard his mother yelling, flinching he turned back to look at Will with a nervous laugh.

“Aye, I know this, but you also know that she’s gonna ground you until you turn 18. You weighed that risk right?”

He shrugged. “It’ll be worth it.” He said with a grin.

“I owe you a huge debt, Captain.” The King reached out to pass the bundle of coins into the man’s hand. “Should you ever find yourself in our Kingdom again, please make sure to make our acquaintance.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, your highness.” Captain Jones paused. “I’m sure you are anxious for things to return to normal, with Baelfire behind bars, your sister is free to marry the Duke.”

The King laughed, “I’m afraid my sister is anything but normal. She has already informed me that she has decided not to marry the Duke.”

“Emm…Princess Swan does indeed appear to do things her own way.”

“I never did get a chance to apologize for my sister’s interference with your mission.”

“Apologizes are not necessary, she was of great assistance.”

“Emma has always wished for more than these stone walls.”

“You can’t cage a bird forever.” The Captain stated before rising to leave. “I must take my leave; I fear I have stayed too long, and the sea is calling my name.”

“Thank you again, Captain.”

Killian left the King, heading out of the castle to retreat to the Jolly to prepare her for sailing in the morning. As he rounded the corner he saw Master Henry waiting at the end of the corridor.

“Captain Jones!”

“Master Henry, so happy to see you well.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“Aye, this is not the only kingdom in need of my assistance, my crew and I must be on our way to Arendelle by first light.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, lad.”

“I was wondering if you were in need of additional crew on the Jolly Roger?”

The Captain laughed. “Is this inquiry personal? I’m not certain your mother would approve.”

“I’m not a child. I’m not even officially a royal. I have no claim to the throne. My place here is unnecessary. I want to explore new worlds, find adventure, learn to sword fight like you.”

“Henry, I would be honored for you to join my crew, with your mother’s permission of course.”

“Really?”

“Aye, I’m always in need of good men who are willing to have my back. But I fear your mother may not be in agreement with you leaving the nest.”

“My mother might surprise you.” He said with a smile.

“I believe that. Your mother is not like many I have met.”

“Have you spoken to her?”

“Not since we turned Baelfire over to the Sheriff. A man of my stature does not seek out the company of royalty without being called upon.”

“I’m sure she will be sad to find that she missed you before you left.”

“I’m on my way to the Thirsty Lion; I need to rally the troops before we set sail in the morning. In case anyone would find themselves interested in joining my crew or needing to speak to me, that’s where they will find me until sundown.” He said with a wink.

“Thank you Captain.” Henry took his leave as the Captain left the castle, a nervous excitement taking over him.

After dinner, Henry found himself confronting his mother about the man they turned over to the Sheriff. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about my father?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, to make you think that you weren’t wanted. Your father may have left us, but you have always been loved Henry.”

“I never felt unloved, mother.”

Princess Emma wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” She pulled back, looking at her son. “Why did you follow me to the Jolly Roger?”

“I didn’t. I was actually following Captain Jones. After he came to my room that evening, I just wanted to see what it was like to go on an adventure. I’m always stuck here in the castle.”

“Being royalty means we have responsibilities. It’s our duty to be here, to be seen.”

“But I’m not royalty. You are though. So why did you follow Captain Jones then?” He asked with a smirk. “That doesn’t seem like part of your responsibility. Uncle David says that you are supposed to be choosing a husband.”

“I suppose you are very much like your mother; I don’t like being told what to do either.”

“Do you not intend to marry the Duke?”

Princess Emma crinkled her nose, “I always thought my life would be so different than what it has become.”

“You wish for adventure too.”

“Why does a Princess have to stay in court, bound to a man of royal blood?”

“It’s a shame that Captain Jones isn’t sticking around.” Henry said with a sly smile.

“You’ve talked to him?”

“I saw him this morning when Uncle David met with him, he said that he was to set sail for Arendelle at first light.”

“Oh, is that so?” Her tone was full of disappointment and longing.

“I believe he was headed to the Thirsty Lion. He was sure to make mention of that in case anyone needed to speak with him before he lifted anchor.”

“Did he mention anyone specifically?”

“Of course not, that would be improper, would it not, Mother?” She kissed her son on the forehead, standing up and rushing to the door. “Mother.” She turned back to face him. “Wear the green cloak, it matches your eyes, and is less recognizable in public than the gold frock you tried to hide in when I tracked you.”

~*~

Killian watched as Henry stepped away into the stairwell, the large metal door slamming shut in slow motion.

“Shit.” Killian ran for the door, tugging on the handle but it wouldn’t budge. “Sneaky little bugger, he’s locked us out.”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“I can assure you, love; it won’t budge.” Emma pushed past him and yanked on the handle.

“Oh, he’s grounded for a month!” She screeched as she kicked the door with her foot and Killian couldn’t stop the laugh escaping his mouth. She turned quickly. “Do you think this is funny?”

“Of course not, but I hardly think the punishment fits the crime.”

“He locked us on the rooftop because he thinks we are running away from true love. You realize that’s ridiculous, don’t you? There’s no such thing as true love, you find someone you don’t want to kill, and you hope for the best.”

He couldn’t hold in the sad laugh at her comment. Their eyes locked and Killian swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry. The boy did have an active imagination, that he was sure of since the literacy fair. However, his assessment that Killian was running wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Aye, I admit that the boy has a flair for the dramatics, however he makes a fair point, at least on my account.” Her eyes widened.

“You’re not telling me that you agree with him?”

“I didn’t say that Swan. I’m just saying that he makes a fair point. I’ve hurt more people than I care to admit in my quest to escape my past, Belle included.”

“I don’t understand, what are you escaping from?” She paused, horror framing her face. “Oh God, you aren’t a serial killer are you?”

“Bloody hell woman, you immediately jump to serial killer. The boy isn’t kidding, you do have trust issues.”

“He told you I have trust issues?”

Killian rolled his eyes. “Is he wrong?”

“No, but that’s not the point.” She pouted angrily.

Killian paced his spot on the roof, watching the woman seated in front of him. He was in dangerous waters here; he knew that opening up to her could lead to ramifications for their friendship. He wasn’t sure he could afford to lose both Emma and Henry in his life. However, not talking to her could also drastically change things anyway.

“I’m not a serial Killer, Swan, so you can stop planning your escape.” He sighed and sat down next to her. “However, I’m not proud of my past. My previous relationship was the definition of muddy waters at best.”

“I was married to a man who took me clubbing on our first date only to come back and rob it later that night. Trust me, I get muddy waters.”

Killian narrowed his eyes; this Neal character was dumber than he thought. “Perhaps you do.”

“We all do stupid shit; it doesn’t mean we are bad people.”

He took a deep breath, “I dated a woman while I was in the Navy. Milah. I was consumed with her the moment I laid eyes on her at the bar. She had the mouth of a sailor, the body of a goddess, and I swore she knew me more than I knew myself.” Emma squirmed in her seat beside him. “I fell in love with her the way most people do, feet first with my eyes closed. I gave her everything I had, my entire soul.”

“Is she the reason you moved to Boston?”

“Aye, though I wouldn’t call it a move, more of an escape. I intended to ask her to marry me. Liam didn’t approve, he felt she would not live up to my mother’s expectation for her son, he refused to give me his blessing, or my mother’s ring, but it didn’t deter me. She was my world.”

“So, you asked her anyway?”

He nodded. “It was the happiest day of my life, and sadly the day my entire world exploded around me.” He paused. “Milah was unable to accept my proposal, because she was already married.”

“Oh wow, that’s... I’m sorry.”

“I wish that was where the tale ended, however I’m ashamed to say that my part in the story continued.” He hung his head, taking his eyes off her. “As I said, she was my world, and I could not let her go. My brother always told me that a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.” He laughed. “I never stopped to question if what I was fighting for was worthy of my time and effort.”

“You wanted her to leave her husband?”

“Aye, she told me she was going to leave him, he was abusive, and things escalated. Many nights I spent cleaning her up, tending to her wounds, begging her not to go back to him. She always told me it was the last time, I would send her home to pack her things and return to me. But she never did.” He laughed. “I was a fool. I should have ended it, walked away. But the last night was worse than anything he had ever done. He had broken her arm, threatened to kill her. It was the last straw. I went after him, gave him an ass beating he won’t soon forget.”

Emma gasped beside him. “It sounds like he deserved it.”

He chuckled. “I got arrested for assault and battery. Turns out her husband was an up-and-coming politician.”

“But what about his wife, surely there was evidence to prove she was being battered?”

“It was her word against mine.” He said sadly.

“What? She lied?”

“She told the police I was a jealous ex-lover, and that she had begged me to leave her alone. I went to jail for a time and when I was released, I had been dishonorably discharged from the Navy. Everything I had built and dreamed of since I was a child was gone.”

“Killian that’s terrible. But that hardly sounds like you were the bad guy.”

He sat up in his chair, “Perhaps not, but I knew I brought this on myself. I allowed Milah to continue to cheat on her husband, I should have stopped it. I should have walked away. I deserved the punishment I got.”

“And I made you do it again when I kissed you while I was dating Graham.” She said sadly.

“I couldn’t allow anything to progress with us, no matter how much I wished it.”

“You wished for it?”

“Aye, but after Milah, I got shit faced and made a promise to my brother that I would never have a relationship with a woman again.”

“But you were just dating Belle.”

“Belle and I were merely existing. I never called her my girlfriend, a fact that I believe hurt her more than I could comprehend. Belle is a good woman and someone I consider a cherished friend. She deserved better than me.”

“So, you’re just going to keep running from feeling anything because of a drunken promise after making a mistake?”

“Can I ask you something, Emma?”

“Interesting, asking a question to avoid answering one.”

Killian pushed forward. “Why did you turn down Graham’s proposal?”

She frowned. “Guess I didn’t feel like getting married again, seemed like a lot of work.”

“I just told you the thing I am most fearful of people learning about me and you return the favor by being less than honest in your answer.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Try the truth. Why does your boy think you are running?”

“Why does Henry think anything? He has an active imagination.” Killian rolled his eyes. “Ok fine, you want the truth? Graham was a good guy, he treated me well, he was good to Henry. I could have married him and let him take care of me for the rest of our lives.”

“And you think that’s a bad thing?”

“Of course not, but he didn’t make me feel anything. I loved him but I wasn’t in love with him. I just wanted to feel alive, desired, wanted.”

“So, you kissed me?”

“You make it sound like I was using you. I wasn’t. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because you scare me. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

“Scaring a woman hardly sounds like a good thing.” He laughed.

“When I was younger, I was a different person. I wanted adventure, excitement. I was the type of person who wanted to get up at 3am, take a boat out into the middle of the ocean, and watch the sun come up. I took trips without even knowing where I was going. I was 18 years old when I met Neal, we ran hard and fast and we almost destroyed each other. We were married and divorced before I even knew who he was. By the time I figured it out, Henry came. And then I had responsibilities and someone else depending on me.”

Killian watched her face, imagining what Emma must have been like back then. She would have been the type of woman he would have fallen for in a heartbeat. Perhaps if they had met back then, neither of them would have gone through what they did.

“I started playing things safe. My ex, Walsh, was a banker, you couldn’t get more boring than him if you tried. And then there was Graham, I’ve known him since I was a child, he was a friend, a security guard who took care of old people.” She laughed.

“And then one day, this man in a leather jacket rode up on his bike, I could practically smell danger and adventure and excitement from the moment I met you.” Her eyes never left his as she spoke. “And I was ok just fantasizing about it because I don’t date men like you. But then you went and did the most aggravating thing anyone could have ever done.”

He couldn’t stop the smirk. “What’s that, love?”

“This man who was supposed to be dangerous and terrifying became friends with my eleven-year-old son.”

“He’s friends with Will too, love, I fail to see how that’s aggravating.”

“Will doesn’t count. He’s been my best friend since before I even realized what boys were. But you…you became friends with Henry because you wanted to. And it was aggravating because you did it without even trying to get into my pants. You just hung out with him. Despite my protests, my distrust, even though you had no reason at all to even pay him the time of day, you talked to him like he was a human who deserved an audience.”

“Perhaps I’m missing the point.” He said with a chuckle.

“Dangerous men don’t become friends with my son. They don’t listen to him when he’s having a bad day. They don’t show up at his literacy fair to watch him recite a poem that he wrote about him and his mother.”

“Why Swan, are you saying that you are the Princess, and I am the Pirate from Henry’s tale?” He teased with a grin.

“Stop it, you already knew as much.”

“I had my suspicions, yes.”

“That’s my point, even after all that, you still hung around. You babysat him, I mean you almost set my house on fire doing so, but, even after Henry faked being sick just so I would end my date early with Graham, you still stayed.” She shook her head. “You let him come to your house to play with your dog every night before he went to bed, you eat my food, and you never complain that it’s burned…” She closed her eyes, words almost coming out in a whisper, “and sometimes I catch you looking at me and it takes my breath away.”

Without even thinking, he reached out, his thumb tracing a line against her cheek. “Sometimes, when I look at you, I swear my heart is going to pound out of my chest and everything around me ceases to exist. Because all I see is you.”

Her eyes opened, locking with his, and in a single heartbeat, she was in his arms, her lips crashing against his mouth, and the world stopped.

#skyline manor #stacy's fics #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan modern au #captain swan

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falseroar · 4 years

Text

Dog Days Part 20: Making Plans

((Chase discovers a way to keep Y/N busy and their mind off of Abe while Marvin tries to prepare for his meeting with the hunter.

Links to the series masterlist and to Part 19: Good Branding.))

You weren’t sure what time it was when you woke up, only that your stomach was grumbling enough to make you get out of bed and sit up for a few minutes until your head cleared. The light coming through the window blinds suggested middle or late afternoon, but when you stepped out of your room the house felt quiet. There were muffled voices coming from Marvin’s room down the hall, but you didn’t see anyone else until you walked into the kitchen and found Chase looking in one of the cabinets.

He jumped at the sound of someone walking in, relaxing a little when he saw it was only you but still looking a little guilty when he said, “Hey. Guess you’re hungry too, huh?”

“…Yeah,” you said, deciding not to ask even though you knew that was the same cabinet you saw Jackie pulling bottles out of just the other night. “A little.”

“We weren’t sure if we should wake you for lunch or not,” Chase explained. “We’ve got stuff to make sandwiches, and there’s probably some leftovers in the fridge.”

“A sandwich sounds good,” you said, and cracked a smile. “It’ll be nice to finally eat something with my hands and not off the floor for once.”

“…Oh.” Realization dawned on Chase’s face and he said, “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t even think—”

“No, no,” you said quickly, already regretting your words. “I didn’t mean…There wasn’t much of a choice, was there? Not when I couldn’t make myself change back.”

You hesitated and then added, “Thank you, for letting me stay here. Especially when I was…like that.”

Chase paused in the act of pulling a loaf of bread out and looked at you, sounding genuinely surprised when he said, “Of course. You’re welcome to stay here no matter what shape you’re in, Y/N. I said that, didn’t I? Wouldn’t be much of a home, otherwise. Now what kind of sandwich do you want? We’ve got jelly, peanut butter, almond butter, cheese if you want to try grilled…”

Chase continued listing off choices, but you barely listened as you stared at him, biting your lip hard to try not to cry. By the time he was done, you had managed to get a hold of yourself enough to pick one, and a few minutes later the two of you were seated at the table, Chase trying to explain to you why he bought catnip with all of the dog stuff in the hopes of seeing if it would have an effect on Marvin.

“But he just wears the cat mask,” you said, trying not to laugh. “It doesn’t mean he’s actually part cat.”

“You haven’t seen the way he eats salmon,” Chase said. “And don’t get me started on string—Oh, hang on.”

Chase pulled his buzzing phone out of his pocket, his expression changing immediately when he saw the name on the screen.

“Hey, Staci,” he said, his eyes flickering toward you and looking relieved when you nodded and stood up to give him some space. Only for that relief to turn to panic when he said, “Lion? Oh, yeah, I managed to catch them yesterday before they got too far. Sorry if I worried you or the—They want to what?”

You heard Staci repeat that the kids wanted to see Lion, the kids’ voices clamoring on the other side of the device, and made a quick gesture to Chase before leaving that you didn’t think he completely understood as he continued talking on the phone.

“Well, I don’t know if we can do that, um, like I said, Lion is a foster and I think they’ve found—uh, their forever home and—”

“Hold on, honey,” Staci said on the other end, and Chase felt a bittersweet sting when he realized she wasn’t talking to him. “I don’t know if we can do video, let me ask Daddy, okay?”

“Uh…”

“Sorry, they want to see Lion again. And you. Maybe you can explain to them how fostering works?” There was a strain in Staci’s voice, her patience wearing a little thin, and Chase wondered how many times the kids had asked her to make this call.

“Yeah, I can do video,” Chase said, bracing himself for the coming disappointment as he held his phone back and pressed the button that made first Staci, then his kids appear as she handed the phone over. “Hey, kiddos. How are you doing?”

“Good,” they chimed together, before his son leaned in so close that his face filled the screen as he asked, “Lion?”

“Yeah, Lion is…” Chase trailed off, unable to hide his surprise when you walked back into the kitchen. It had taken you longer than you thought to get the collar back on, and to brace yourself to change back, but it felt worth it when Chase smiled and sank down onto the floor to sit beside you so that you both were in the camera as the kids shouted, and then tried to talk over each other as they told you both about how they went for hot chocolate after the park yesterday, and about what they did in school today, Chase’s son proudly showing a crayon drawing after his daughter spent several minutes talking about her good grades in math and how her teacher didn’t think “hunormous” was a real word but “really, really big” just wasn’t the same.

Eventually, Staci suggested that maybe they should wrap things up, leading the girl to ask, “Can we go to the park and play with Lion again? We can walk them this time, so they won’t run off.”

“Well, Lion’s new owner will be wanting to spend time with them,” Chase started, glancing at you when you pressed a paw on his knee. “…But maybe they’ll be willing to let me take them to the park again. We’ll pick a day when you’re both out of school, how’s that sound?”

They sounded happy enough with that idea, and Staci managed a smile when she took the phone back and said, “Thanks, Chase. I’ll text you a few dates later, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Chase said, unable to think of anything else to say before she hung up. After a moment of staring at the blank screen, he looked at you and said, “Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that.”

You shook your head and gave him a look that he eventually figured out, turning his head as he felt you change back beside him until you leaned against him with a heavy sigh.

“Let’s…let’s wait a while before we have that play date,” you said, sounding so much more tired that Chase looked at you with alarm. You smiled to reassure him as you said, “I’m fine. I just…don’t remember it being that hard, changing back.”

Chase wrapped an arm around your shoulders, squeezing you in a hug before he said, “Thank you for…not telling the others about the park, and ‘Lion.’ I know Jackie worries about me.”

“Yeah, he does. Cause he likes you or something,” you said, getting another smile out of Chase even if it was a little sadder this time. “Having other people to worry about you, ‘s not such a bad thing.”

Chase heard your voice slur, your breathing slow as though you were close to falling asleep again right there on the floor, leaning against him. Changing into the wolf and back again really had done a number on you, and thinking that is what caused the question to slip out.

“Was it this hard to change back last night?”

You took so long to answer that he started to apologize, but then you said, “Harder. I was…scared. Scared if I did, scared if I didn’t. You know?”

“…Yeah, I can imagine.”

“The paper,” you said, sounding a little more awake as the thought suddenly hit you. “There was a paper, a note, I put it in my pocket…”

You reached for your pocket before remembering that you were wearing a pair of sweatpants from the pile of clothes that they had put together for you and not the same clothes from last night, and Chase had to steady you when you tried to stand up.

“Easy, I can go and get it for you,” Chase said, getting up with you and directing you into the living room where you sank down onto the couch with a sigh. “Pants pocket, right?”

They were easy enough to find, although Chase paused when he found something else besides the folded-up flyer they were talking about.

It was an envelope, addressed to the District Attorney, with two cards inside. The Death tarot card, and one with a short message typed on it.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

Watch as I betray them all.

They’d mentioned the cards, of course, how theirs had outed them as a werewolf, how Mark had ended up with it as part of his insane scheme. They hadn’t mentioned this one, or that they still had any of the cards. Maybe they had forgotten, or just didn’t want to remember the far too accurate taunt they had been left with for all these years.

“Chase?”

Chase looked up to see Marvin and Jackie in the hallway, both curious to find him in here.

“Y/N asked me to look for something,” he said weakly. “And I found…”

Marvin took the cards and studied them, his expression again growing heavy and vaguely threatening in a way that made Chase worry about how this coffee meeting with the hunter was supposed to go tomorrow, even with Jackie on standby.

Chase looked down at the note you were so interested in, the one supposedly written to or from this Wilford guy, and flipped it over to read the front of the flyer that you couldn’t make out last night.

“Well, there’s some good news,” Chase said, and when Jackie and Marvin looked, he held up the flyer for the local TV station. “I think I have an idea on how to keep Y/N busy tomorrow, and maybe find out a little more about this guy the hunter was so interested in last night at the same time. How does Jameson and me taking Y/N on a little tour sound?”

---

“Hm.” Dr. Schneeplestein sat back in his chair and said, “Vell, it does seem your eyesight is a touch of the fuzzy. Perhaps it vill get better, but glasses are not so bad. Zhey can be very stylish.”

He tilted his own glasses down to look at you over the top of the frames with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“But you say you cannot see color at all?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s all black and white and grays.”

“And you did not have zhis issue before zhe mirror?”

“No, not even when I turned into the wolf,” you said.

“Yes, I cannot say I have heard of many weres complaining of color-blindness,” Henrik admitted. “Alzhough I imagine it might be difficult to notice red-green problems on full moons, vhen you have different zhings on zhe mind. I can see no damage in your pupils, but, ah—have your eyes always been silver?”

You shook your head again. You had discovered that the bathroom didn’t have a mirror in it, Marvin saying something about them being a scrying risk but that there was still one in the bathroom off of Chase’s room. You hadn’t felt the need to go and look in it though, so you had to take the doctor’s word on the silver eyes thing.

“It shouldn’t matter, of course, but zhis whole deal is…very strange,” the doctor said with a sigh. “I am sorry I cannot offer any advice. Perhaps one day ve could consult vith Dr. Iplier again.”

“Do you think he would know something about it?” you asked and the doctor shrugged.

“He is good at providing second ideas. Perhaps he knows of a remedy I might not have considered ve could try. And a trip to zhe hospital feels like it could be a safe outing to help you get used to human legs again. Safer zhan zhis studio,” Henrik said, giving a disgusted look at the flyer lying on the bench beside you, the one that had sparked a lot of questions and led to you sitting in the doctor’s room while he performed yet another checkup.

Supposedly, the graphic on the front of the paper which to your eyes looked like a dark gray city skyline against a pale circle, surrounded by black, had letters on it somewhere. Letters which were typed in just the right shade to blend in with the buildings or the sky, you still weren’t sure which. Something about a studio and tour hours, which is why Chase thought the note on the back to or from ‘W’ was related to the place.

“May I?” Henrik asked, holding up his stethoscope and inviting you to take several deep breaths while he listened.

“Why wouldn’t it be safe?” you asked, as he moved to your back.

“I do not trust zhese entertainment people, actors and zhe like, Jameson and Chase excepted,” Henrik said, only to pause. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just a…cough,” you said. “Voice is still a little weak, you know.”

“It does sound much better zhan earlier,” Henrik pointed out. “Deep breath, please. And again.”

You followed his lead, trying to force yourself to let it go. Jameson had explained to you, what a TV studio was, or the general idea of it. You already knew about flicks, you had worked catering for one of his movies after all, and the theaters back in your day had the short cartoons and serials and newsreels. The idea of recording all that and sending it to screens like the one in the living room wasn’t completely foreign, although the idea of having an entire building for it was a little strange. Chase nearly broke down in tears when Jameson explained to him how they used to put up and break down sets in days, and how he sold off all of their backgrounds and props by the lot for other studios to use. You still weren’t entirely sure why he thought those would be worth a lot of money today or who would be paying for that kind of stuff.

“And zhis studio has a bit of a…reputation in my field,” Henrik said. “A lot of injuries from on set, zhey say, and zhere are rumors…vell, it is best not to spread such zhings.”

“Jameson’s film had a lot of injuries on set too,” you pointed out. Granted, that probably had a lot to do with the evil otherworldly entity hanging around, but still. “Some of those stunts can be dangerous.”

“Vhich is vhy ve have more standards zhese days, and professional stuntpersons,” Henrik said. “And vhat kind of stunts do you need to be doing on a gameshow, I ask? People zhese days expect too much action and drama and violence in every little zhing, even in zhe cartoons.”

You started to respond and decided against commenting on that, even though you suspected your memories of cartoons back in your day were a little more accurate than whatever the doctor’s nostalgia had him remembering.

“We’re just going there to try and find this Wilford guy,” you said instead. “I promise I won’t let Chase volunteer for any stunts.”

Henrik sighed. “Do not make promises you cannot keep, Y/N. Just a few days ago, he is trying to get on zhe roof and still vill not tell me vhy.”

To get more air time, and while you didn’t know what that meant, you definitely knew better than to tell the doctor. Only reason he found out at all was because Chase scraped up his arm on the way down, before Jackie managed to catch him, and they didn’t have enough time to come up with a story between them before Henrik smelled the blood.

Which is why they were currently going over the story for tomorrow in Marvin’s room, in case you started asking questions or changed your mind about going to the studio. Well, that, and trying to convince Marvin that he didn’t need to load up on spells and an entire magical arsenal for a meeting over coffee.

“Isn’t the whole point of this just to get to know the hunter?” Jameson asked, picking up a dagger that was lying on top of his outfit for tomorrow and giving Marvin a pointed look. “A little hard to do if he feels like he’s about to be attacked.”

“Be careful with that, it’s a dimensional dagger,” Marvin said, taking it and checking to make sure the strap keeping it in its sheath was still in place. “It’s only if he needs to take a little...time out somewhere else, that’s all.”

“Mm, I’m going to go with a ‘no’ on that one, same as the other stuff,” Chase said. “And you’re not going to wear that mask, are you?”

Marvin scowled. “Why wouldn’t I? This is an antique, passed down among generations of spellcasters, it both amplifies and controls its wearer’s abilities, with protective magic embedded into every fiber, and it is absolutely essential for any of my big workings.”

“And you think you’ll be needing it to drink coffee?” Jameson asked. “Just wear those nifty sunglasses, you use those all the time when you go out for normal stuff.”

“They’re not the same,” Marvin complained, very aware of the whine in his voice. “Besides, he already knows I’m a magic user, I might as well look the part.”

“Because nothing says magic like a kitty cat mask,” Jackie said, Chase snorting when he tried to hold in his laugh. “Marvin, Jameson’s right. We want the hunter to feel safe opening up and talking to you so we can learn something about the guy, and I don’t think he’s going to do that if it looks like you’re ready to pick a fight. I’ll be there to back you up if something goes wrong, but you do know the goal here is for it to not come to that, right?”

Marvin groaned and said, “Fine, I’ll leave the mask. And the dagger. But I’m taking the playing cards. I might need something to break the ice, after all.”

The response to that news was less than enthusiastic, but as Chase signed when Marvin’s back was turned, “At least he can’t get into too much trouble with just card tricks, right?”

Jameson, who had far more experience with Marvin’s attempts at stage magic, just gave him a look and signed back, “Maybe we should have let him take the dagger instead.”

---

In Henrik’s room, the doctor finished examining the scar on your chest and, as you pulled your shirt back down, asked, “Is zhere any pain in zhe area?”

“Sometimes there’s pressure, like a weight,” you answered. “But it doesn’t actually hurt. I’m more tired than anything, and I think that’s more from changing back.”

The doctor nodded. “Zhat vill hopefully pass by morning, but let me know if it does not. Still, no pain vhen you breathe, or move in certain vays?”

You shook your head only to hesitate before answering, “Sometimes…sometimes it hurts, after a nightmare. When I dream about…what happened.”

Henrik pulled off his glasses and fiddled with them for a moment before he looked at you, as though to have something to do with his hands while he tried to find the right words. “Y/N…in your case, trauma is normal. Nightmares, strong memories, anxieties, zhey are all unfortunately common after a bad shock or, or near-death experience.”

You chuckled, even though it wasn’t funny. “Not sure you can get more ‘near’ death than actually, you know, dying.”

“Exactly. I am not a therapist, but if you are ever wanting someone to talk to, if you ever just need a friend, I am here. So are zhe others, of course.” Henrik fidgeted with his glasses some more before he added, “I…have had my own difficulties, vith trauma. Vith zhe bad thoughts, and zhe nightmares, and feeling like you are back again. Zhe experience is nothing like yours, of course, but I know what it can…do to zhe mind, if you don’t have help. Any time, day or night, one of us vill be here. Even if you do not talk, and just do not wish to be alone.”

“…I know.” You knew from so many nights, when the others opened their rooms to you so that you wouldn’t have to sleep alone, when they talked to the wolf when you were blind, just so you could be sure they were still there. “Thank you, Dr. Schneeplestein.”

“Please, I think I am now off zhe clock for another few hours or so,” Dr. Schneeplestein said, smiling and offering a hand to help you stand. “Call me Henrik.”

You returned the smile, but as you stood your gaze went around the doctor’s room again, once again noticing the lack of an actual bed or windows. Despite the pictures on the wall (all of which featured skeletons, although you didn’t know many anatomy drawings that had the subjects playing cards or dancing), and the fake flowers on one corner of his desk in between the stacks of medical texts, the room had a very cell-like feel to it.

“Henrik. The offer goes both ways, if you ever want someone to talk to or…just not to be alone,” you said, feeling embarrassed to have said anything before you even finished, especially when the doctor looked surprised at the suggestion.

Then he smiled softly and said, “Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind, Hündchen.”

“You know I know that word means dog or puppy or something, right?”

“I do not know vhat you mean, Y/N. Say, while zhe others are busy, vhy don’t we have a little treat zhe wolf could not? How does chocolate ice cream sound?”

“…I didn’t say I didn’t like the nickname,” you said, pushing the doctor a little when he couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Can you have ice cream?”

“I’m undead, Hündchen, not in zhe grave. Tell me, vhat is zhe point of our afterlives if ve cannot have a little treat every now and zhen?”

((End of Part 20. Thanks for reading! This one was more setup for the next few parts, but soon there will be a bit more “stuff” happening.

Link to Part 21: Coffee with a Dash of Honesty.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch @autumnrambles @authorracheljoy @liafoxyfox ))

#markiplier #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #werewolf au #monster hunter au #wkm district attorney #chase brody #henrik schneeplestein #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #jackieboy man #i'm sure nothing will go wrong tomorrow #and the coffee date will be fantastic #as long as Marvin doesn't need to use those cards

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sendrickbecs · 4 years

Text

Unspoken Feelings (1/8)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26259739

It's unspoken. But it's there. It's always been there, ever since they first met eyes at the activities fair two years back. The undeniable connection between Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale sprung from a small glance shared between the two on Beca's first day on campus to singing in the shower together, (both naked – and wet), and ever since then the connection hasn't stopped growing. It's undeniable, yet it's still denied by the two seniors. Everyone else can see it – hell, even the girl's parents notice the lingering touches and the longing stares – but they refuse to admit it.

Because admitting it would mean talking about it. Talking about feelings has never been something that Beca has been comfortable with. Growing up in the Mitchell household was tough, it was continuous arguments and unspoken apologies, it was having emotions but not allowing yourself to feel them. Beca's parents never talked about their feelings, unless it was their opinions on a particular Tv show or whether or not Beca was allowed to get a dog, (She was not). So, her parents lack of communication meant Beca grew up in a home (it was more of a house) where she was taught that expressing your feelings was a sign of weakness.

Beca doesn't want to be seen as weak so she builds rather high walls around herself and hides her true emotions from everyone, but also herself. She doesn't allow herself to feel.

Chloe, on the other hand could talk for days about literally anything to literally anyone, but when it comes to the girl's feelings about her best friend, she can't express a thing. It's like her mind is too full to process a single thought. And sometimes the redhead thinks that's how Beca makes her feel – full – content – happy. But she doesn't allow herself to actually feel those things. Because feeling would mean admitting and admitting would mean talking – something neither of the girl's are good at.

It took Beca weeks to admit that she had an internship at a recording studio because she's 'weird about that stuff' so admitting that she felt something more for the redhead than just friendship would definitely take some time.

. . .

As the brunette glances up at her best friend she catches her eye and they share a smile, one that grows on each of their faces when they notice the other isn't looking away. Normally that's their thing – Beca looks at Chloe, admires her and cherishes her beauty but as soon as Chloe looks up, Beca glances down, acting as if she wasn't just staring at her best friend. Chloe does it too, but she somehow manages to be a little more subtle than the brunette by faking an interest in something across the room or pretending to examine the state of her nails.

They finally tear their eyes from each other, because they have to at some point, although it's clear that neither girl would object to only looking at each other for the rest of their lives.

Their gazes land on the rest of their friends; The Bellas, who are looking up at them with slightly bored expressions. They have been in the auditorium for nearly an hour yet not a single girl has sung a word, much to their amusement – especially Emily, the youngest of the group. She seems to be even more enthusiastic about singing than Chloe if that's even possible. Chloe loves to sing, she thrives off of it, but the young Bella cannot go an hour without singing, which is why she looks about ready to explode.

"Does everyone remember the choreography?" Chloe asks, giving the group one of her famous and much loved (especially by Beca) Chloe Beale smiles.

Instead of a collection of mumbled responses, the girl is met with a chorus of questions and suggestions, one following after the other from nearly all of the girls.

Fat Amy is the first to respond, completely ignoring Chloe's question, "Can we get a snack first?" It makes Chloe roll her eyes slightly because the question is so typical of Amy, she's always finding time throughout rehearsal to sneak over to her bag and munch on a few tortilla chips, or make a trip to the vending machine just outside the auditorium only to return with fistfuls of snack sized chocolate bars.

Chloe is about to tell Amy that there's only fifteen minutes left of rehearsal so she can wait until it's over, but then another Bella pipes in.

"When are we going to sing today?" Emily asks, her eyes shining with desperation, the urge to sing growing stronger with each passing minute. The youngest Bella is adored by everyone – Amy has mixed opinions – but there are times where Chloe wants nothing more than for her to crawl under a rock and die. They will sing when they have perfected the choreography. And Emily, with her freakishly long giraffe legs is very clumsy – her moves are quite far from, as the former captain would say, 'two steps away from being almost fine' so the girl had a lot of improvements to make before she even thought about warming her voice up to sing.

"You're just as bad as Aubrey with the cardio." Cynthia Rose huffs, which causes Chloe to scrunch her nose up in frustration. She is not very good at handling negative criticism and the Bellas seem to very persistent in handing it out today.

Chloe likes to think that she's a better a capella captain than her blonde best friend because she had a lot of control issues to overcome and she could also be kind of a bitch to the rest of the group if they weren't doing it how she wanted it done. The fact that Beca was quite often on the receiving end of Aubrey's bitchy remarks always riled her anger. Ever since she met the girl and walked into her shower she felt the need to protect the small brunette, not that she needed protecting, Beca had quite the punch on her and her badass exterior was enough of a shield, but Chloe still wanted to have her back when people looked at Beca the wrong way or made a comment about her style – something Aubrey did an awful lot in her first few months of being Captain.

"Aubrey's cardio wasn't that bad." Stacie retorts with a suggestive smirk, which breaks Chloe from her downward spiral.

The other co-captain's head snaps up at the words. 'Only because you were getting special treatment from the bitchy blonde' Beca thinks, smirking to herself which makes Chloe turn to look at her with a knowing smile. It's like sometimes the two girls share the same thought process.

Lily mumbles something that is missed by everyone, but it was definitely something about a dead body, possibly multiple.

Chloe loves the Bellas, they're her family, but sometimes she wants to tell them to 'shut the hell up' and go all Posen on their asses by making them run laps around the auditorium just to prove to them that she isn't as bad as the former captain of The Barden Bellas. But when she catches a glimpse of the scowl a few metres away from her, she's reminded that she is the mellower one of the two co-captains.

"Two-minute break." She announces, which receives a few cheers and a sigh of relief from the Asian Jesus of the group. "How's it going?" Chloe questions once she's walked around the table and is now leaning behind Beca, peering at her laptop screen where Beca's music technology is displayed.

"Do they realise how hard it is to work on the set whilst they're complaining about everything?" The girl with the headphones around her neck lets out a groan.

Chloe laughs, the sound instantly bringing a smile to Beca's lips. "Your complaining is just as bad." Chloe mentions, "I was trying to work on some new dance moves last night and you were whining the entire time because I was distracting you."

"The dance moves were distracting." Beca admits as she lifts her headphones from around her neck and places them on the table in front of her, giving the redhead her undivided attention.

The older girl's lips quirk up into a smirk, "Well, if you were watching me for long enough for it to distract you then you'll know them well enough to demonstrate them to everyone." She says and stands up straighter, reaching her hand out towards Beca. "Come on, Bec."

There is a moment of hesitation from Beca as she assesses her options, she can either latch on to Chloe's hand and let the girl guide her to the middle of the auditorium where they rehearse the dance moves together. Or, she can say no, and be the cause of Chloe's upset once again. Beca decides that she isn't opposed to dancing with the redhead, especially because quite a few of the moves are pretty sexual, which means she has to dance against her.

It gives her an excuse to touch the other girl without it having to mean anything, so Beca accepts the hand and jumps up from the chair.

Before walking away with Chloe, the brunette spins around to her laptop and gets up the song that she knows Chloe was practicing the dance moves to the day before in the living room of the Bellas house.

All of the other Bellas are watching them more closely now, but Beca doesn't care. She's focusing on how her hand feels in Chloe's, just how right it feels. When they reach the centre of the room their hands part, only for a few seconds before Chloe brings her hand up to Beca's waist.

Beca is too fixated on the way Chloe's hand slips onto her waist, edging the material of her tank top upwards and resting her hand on the brunette's bare skin. It lightly tingles under Chloe's touch as she runs her thumb over her hipbone. The younger girl's breath hitches in her throat and she's forced to swallow, attempting to fix her breathing pattern.

Why the hell is she so worked up by this? Chloe is her best friend – nothing more.

"Beca." Her name roles off Chloe's tongue, snapping her out of her thoughts. She immediately looks up and her orbs lock onto those bright blue beauties she likes so much. Beca can barely process a single thought, Chloe's touch possessing her in a way that's so familiar – she has been under the redhead's control so many times but each time her mind fogs up like it's the first time she's ever been touched by the girl. Chloe clears her throat, catching Beca's attention once again, "Your hand."

Beca swallows but the lump in her throat doesn't go away, so she coughs instead. "What?" She mumbles once she's managed to clear her throat. She lowers her eyes, not capable of holding the contact knowing how intense the redhead's gaze can affect her.

"Put your hand on my shoulder." Chloe instructs, her tone is soft, showing Beca that she isn't demanding her, but the younger girl still does what she's told, unable to say no to her co-captain.

Once their hands are in the right places on each other's bodies, Chloe directs the dance move, taking control of the movement, rocking hers and Beca's bodies back and forth, creating friction between their bodies.

"Holy shit." Is all Beca can say when the movement comes to a stop.

"That was hot." Stacie comments, her eyes wide in thought.

Even though Chloe would never admit it out loud, she thinks it was hot too, having Beca touch her like that stirred something deep inside her, something she only wishes to explore more often. She just wants Beca's hands to return to her body, to relight the fire that's slowly flickering away since her hands were removed only moments ago. It's no secret that both girls' are blushing furiously, almost matching the colour of Chloe's long locks.

"I think I need a cold shower." Stacie mumbles, earning a glare from the shorter brunette.

Beca is trying to remain calm but the dance she's just done is replaying on a continuous loop in her head and the comments from Stacie are really not helping the matter. Especially the mention of a shower – that only causes Beca's mind to wander back to freshman year when Chloe entered her shower unannounced, how they sang titanium and harmonised so perfectly together. The thought of Chloe's naked body is making Beca's cheeks heat up all over again.

The other co-captain is having similar thoughts as she reminisces the particular shower that started it all. It was the first time she had heard the small, standoffish 'alt' girl sing, and Chloe loved that she was the first person Beca opened up to. She never sang in front of anyone – Beca had admitted that two weeks after joining the Bellas, but Beca was naked, wet and singing with her – for her.

"Stacie, shut up." Beca scoffs, her jaw clenching.

Chloe giggles and leans down to place a chaste kiss to Beca's cheek which makes the brunette's blushing intensify, she groans lightly at the contact even though inside it's causing heart to beat a little faster and adrenaline to pulse through her veins.

"Becs, you're so flustered." She whispers with a smile. The brunette groans once again, making everyone laugh but Chloe's giggle is all she can hear.

It's all too much for Beca – the touching, teasing, giggling, intensifying her hidden emotions. But what ultimately finished her off was the kiss to the check. Beca melted as soon as Chloe's lips and nose came in contact with her cheek.

"Okay, find your partners." Chloe calls and Beca is so thankful the attention has shifted from her.

Instead of joining in with her partner, Beca heads back over to her allocated table where her laptop and mixing equipment are already spread out. She takes her seat and quickly shoves her headphones on over her ears, blocking out the sound of the girls giggling as stitches plays through the speakers around the room. She doesn't want to hear that song, because if she listens to the lyrics she'll think of a certain redhead, which will lead her gaze to drift over to where she knows she's running through the choreography. Beca doesn't want to think about Chloe because then she'll think about the tight leggings and sports bra she's wearing and once that is drilling through her mind, she will want the real thing. She won't be able to keep her eyes away from the redhead across the room.

If she stares at Chloe in tight gym clothes whilst she's dancing to very sexual routines, then she'll be forced to admit – forced to acknowledge those feelings that she's buried so deep beneath the surface. So Beca fixes her gaze on a spot on her laptop screen, not allowing herself to drift her eyes upwards.

Chloe has always loved performing. The rush of adrenaline she receives from performing with the Bellas grows each time. The bigger the performance, the bigger the audience, meaning the bigger the adrenaline rush.

But she loves performing for people more than anything – for one person in particular – Chloe loves performing for Beca.

Dancing with Beca was hot – so fucking hot – and she loved how exhilarating it felt to allow her hands to explore the younger girl's body with so much passion and longing.

It was as if the connection between the two of them was finally being brought into the light, they were slowly beginning to accept it and Chloe truly thought this was Beca's way of communicating with her, telling her that she feels it too.

So Chloe decides to perform for Beca. She shakes her ass a little harder and runs her hands down her body for longer than usual (taking a page out of Stacie's book). Her smile present on her face throughout the entire routine and her excitement growing as the song was coming to a close.

Chloe looks up one final time with pure determination lighting up her face, she's smiling – her famous Chloe Beale smile that she knows Beca has always found irresistible. She's so sure, she's never been so sure about anything in her life. This is it. This is the moment where she's going to finally express everything she's kept bottled up for the past two years. She's going to tell Beca how she feels once and for all.

But when she looks up and her favourite pair of eyes don't meet her gaze, her stomach flips – not in the loving someone so much that their smile makes my heart flutter and butterflies erupt in my stomach kind of way but in the uneasy kind of feeling because she's hit with the realisation that Beca hasn't been watching at all.

She's been performing for Beca, building up the routine until she's finally ready to reveal her grand gesture. Only to find out that Beca wasn't watching her.

Beca wasn't watching her perform.

Her smile drops from her face and it feels like she's been slapped – slapped so far into reality that she finally realises that everything she thought she had with her best friend has been a figment of her imagination. She wanted Beca to look at her, to watch her – to love her – so badly that she's seeing what she wants to see. She thought Beca had returned those feelings. She was so sure. But now she knows – understands – that none of that had been real.

She just saw – felt – what she wanted to be true.

"Okay, that's it. Well done guys." Chloe says, clapping with a slight smile on her face when she calls the end of rehearsals. The smile was nothing more than fake – but she's going to have to get used to fake feelings so why not start now? She has to admit, she's proud of the Bellas and how far they've come. Aubrey appointing Beca as the captain is one of the best things she could have done, and Beca requesting Chloe to take the role as co-captain is also pretty great. Except for when Beca is in one of her 'distant and cold' moods and she won't let Chloe comfort her. Every time she gets pushed away by the brunette it breaks her heart a little. But she doesn't push her and she certainly doesn't pry so Chloe allows Beca to feel – or not feel – however she wants without questioning it.

"Hey, Chlo." Beca calls from where she's loading her laptop and mixing equipment into her laptop bag. Her co-captain spins on her heels and approaches her at the table. She's been friends with Beca long enough to know how Beca puts up her walls when she wants to hide her emotions, so if Beca can do it, she can too.

"What's up, Becs?" The redhead asks sweetly, twiddling her thumb ring whilst she waits for Beca to finish packing up her equipment.

"I won't be back at the house till later." The brunette says, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder and standing up from the chair she's occupied for the majority of rehearsal.

It's in Chloe's nature to be curious, especially when it comes to Beca, she wants to know everything about her – in a totally not possessive/psychotic way of course. She just wants to be the one person in Beca's life that knows her better than anyone else. She just wants Beca. And wants Beca to want her back just the same.

So that's why Chloe catches herself hesitating, she wants to ask why Beca has been so distant lately, why she's not returning her missed phone calls or why she's missed the last three Bellas movie nights. Chloe's missed having Beca next to her on the couch, where the brunette's feet would slowly edge towards Chloe's lap and the night would end with the two girls' bodies pressed closer together than when the movie started.

But deep down she knows it's this god forsaken unspoken connection the two shares. Beca is being distant because that's all she knows, and Chloe knows she should prod Beca until she finally stops running away, forcing her to talk. However, just knowing how much that would hurt them both stops Chloe's thoughts from adapting into real scenarios.

Not talking is just...safer.

It's safer because this way neither girl is hurting the other, but Chloe is still hurting. She's hurting so fucking much because Beca won't even look at her.

"Okay," Chloe retorts, her lips quirking upwards into a smile. Beca nods, not even bothering to look up at the redhead, which sends a punch to her gut.

It's too painful for Chloe to watch the younger girl walk away from her once more so she spins on her heels and exits the auditorium first, not waiting for Beca so the two of them can walk across campus together – another one of their unspoken understandings which happens after every single Bellas rehearsal.

- - - -

Also on wattpad: @writteninbechloe

#bechloe #bechloe fanfic #bechloe fic #beca mitchell #chloe beale #pitch perfect #anna kendrick #brittany snow #fanfiction #pitch perfect fanfiction

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cenestpasmoi-bechloe · 4 years

Text

As I Lost My Heart in You

When you’re 16, initials of your soulmate appears on your wrist.It varies by person, but everyone usually spends time trying to find theirs. It doesn’t always mean that there’s going to be a relationship, sometimes you spend your whole life trying to find your soulmate.

Title from Mariah Carey's Underneath the Stars.

Gifted to @177-8 for the Pitch Perfect Fandom Drive!

Thank you for contributing!

I hope you enjoy it and I apologize for taking so long!!

For more info on how to help, visit the

@ppfandomdrive

page.

Read on Ao3

Beca Mitchell got hers the week of her 16th birthday. She didn’t believe in soulmates and initials. Her dad and her mom had their initials, but they had gotten divorced, her mom died of cancer, and while she was fighting it, her dad had found his ‘soulmate’. She couldn’t forgive her father for ding that to her mother. But she had gotten her initials whether she liked them or not, two letters, CB in cursive.

By that time, she had figured that she was gay, and she had dated a few people.

Her first girlfriend, was Juliana Taylor, but they had broken up, just because they weren’t feeling ‘it’ anymore. Juliana had BM on her wrist, but it probably wasn't her anyways.

She’d decided she’d give boys a try when Conner Basin asked her out. It was less of a date and more of a hangout with a bro, but she had figured he wasn’t the one either, after he had criticized Beca’s favorite video game. He had said the graphics were bad, and that the settings weren’t enough. Beca had called for her friend Stacie to come pick her up at the mall right away, which she did, with her flavor of the week, Jesse Owens.

Boys were a no-go.

Two years later, she was off to college, Barden University, full ride by her father, who is a faculty at Barden. Stacie went along with her, but with a full ride scholarship with her amazing high school grades. Barden had a weird rule about roommates, where everyone had their roommates select randomly by the housing office. That meant that she couldn’t room with Stacie, and she was bunked with Kimmy-Jin, the international student from Korea. Stacie had been roomed with a girl named Alisha, who stacie couldn’t stand. Stacie was literally trying to find a sorority just for their housing.

Chloe Beale had gotten her initials on her 16th birthday. She didn’t have one before her party, but somehow had one when she took a shower that night. It was a BM in bold letters. She had tried hard to find her soulmate, but couldn’t find anyone that was the ‘one’. She had dated a Bobby Markham, but his birth name was Robert, which made his initials RM, thus making it impossible for him to be her soulmate. But where was the rush anyways? She was still 17. She had college plus a few more years to figure out this whole soulmate thing.

She was off to Barden which had an amazing pre-vetrenary program. She met her best friend, Aubrey Posen during her first year biology class, and they had joined the Barden Bellas together soon after. She started dating Bay Matthews, a boy going to Georgia State at a party during the summer, but had broken up due to him being very possessive.

She had worked hard in the Bellas until her junior year, the senior Bellas that year were a bitch. The captain, Alice was the worst of them all. She bossed everyone around, and made Aubrey and Chloe do all the hard work. She was sick and tired of being bossed around like disposable objects. She had been so happy when the seniors graduated and they were finally the leaders of the group. She and Aubrey had decided to become co-captains instead of closing one leader for their group. After Aubrey and the puke incident, they were out of members and desperate to get freshmen on their team. During the activities fair on the quad, they had to ask so many girls to join, they couldn’t keep track. Although their determination, not a lot of people seemed to be interested. Chloe had almost given up when a beautiful brunette had walked past, not interested at first, but had taken their flier. She had said that acapella was lame, and that she didn’t even sing. That made Aubrey nearly puke, but Chloe had hope.

One day, she’s taking a shower, actually, hooking up in the shower with her flavor of the month or two, Tom, when she hears Davis Guetta’s Titanium sung by a beautiful voice. She stops mid kiss and walks out of her stall to try to find the owner of her beautiful voice.

“You can sing!” She’s surprised to see the brunette she had just seen at the activities fair in the afternoon.

“Dude!” She closes the curtains, but Chloe opens them back and asks her about how high her belt goes, and about how she should Jon the Bellas.

They sing together, and Chloe leaves the brunette’s shower stall with her boy toy. What she realizes is that she gad forgotten to ask her her name. All she had managed to see was the brunettes initials on her wrist, which had her initials, CB.

The day of the audition comes, and the brunette decides to arrive at the audition, and sings a song with cups at the end. She can tell that Aubrey is pissed at the fact that she was the best in all of the auditions, and Chloe convinces Aubrey to let her join the Bellas.

After the audition, she finds out that the brunette’s name is Beca Mitchell from the papers Chloe had asked her to fill out.

Beca Mitchell. Chloe’s already so interested in her.

They start with 10 girls on invitation night. The next day, two girls are dismissed, breaking their Bellas promise of not sleeping with a Treblemaker.

Beca didn’t think that shed be joining a female acapella group, and actually taking part in it. Her dad had told her that if she tried her first year, and she still wanted to become a DJ in LA despite trying hard to participate in college life, that he’d let her. That was the biggest reason that she had joined the Bellas, and second being that Chloe, the girl who had caught her at the activities fair, and barged into her shower, was kind of hot. Maybe some hot girl motivation couldn’t hurt. Right?

After the incident at the Semi-finals of the ICCAs, she was definitely getting banned from the group. They had fallen in third place after Beca had sung bulletproof during their set. Aubrey had gotten angry, and she had gotten accused of sleeping with Jesse by her. She was for sure banned from the group.

Thats what she thought, when she got a message from Chloe during the break. The Bellas were back in the Finals, and that she wanted Beca to join the practice on Monday. She thought she was going to be banned, so the message took her by surprise, but talking it through with her dad, she had decided she would go back to practice.

She walks into the auditorium 15 minutes late, when Aubrey is puking her head off, and all the girls are trying to get ahold of the pitch pipe.

She stops the whole argument, and the group shares an amazing moment and the next second, Aubreys tossing her pitch pipe over to Beca. She mis-catches it, and it lands in the pile of puke. Gross.

They head to the pool and have an impromptu mashup session where they find their harmony. They all hug, and Beca somehow catches a glance at Chloes wrist, which says BM. She tries to shake it off of her mind, but she fails.

Chloe had a BM on her wrist, and Beca has a CB. Could this mean that they could be soulmates? But Chloe hasn’t ever said that she was gay, and didn’t she have a boyfriend in the shower that day?

Beca tries to forget.

She really tries.

Beca didn’t believe in soulmates. At least that’s what she had thought. Right?

When she gets back to her dorm after practice one day, she tries to work on her mixes. She can’t seem to concentrate on anything. Chloe had looked at her more than usual, and Beca was getting nervous. Did she have something to say to her? Had she done something wrong?

Thats when she gets a knock on the door. Its usually Kimmy-Jin’s friends, so she lets the girl answer it, but to her surprise, what she hears next is a voice that belongs to Chloe.

“Hey Beca. Can I talk to you for a second?” She asks, and Beca looks at her from her desk.

“Yeah. Sure. What’s up?”

Chloe frowns, “Outside maybe?” Beca nods, getting up and walking out the room.

“What’s up?” Beca asks the ginger as she walks down the hall, and out the door, and she knows she’s heading to the Bellas house. The Bellas had a house, the house Tri Delta had used before moving to a new buildings. It was basically a sorority house, and they were allowed to move in from sophomore year.

“What’s up with you? You’re acting strange lately. “ Chloe says to her.

Beca shrugs. “Its nothing. N-nothing in general. “ She answers nervously.

“You saw my initials didn’t you?”

Shit. Had Chloe seen her that night?

“You did, huh?” Chloe says turning her wrist to show Beca. “Look, I saw yours in the shower that day. CB. Right?”

Beca nods, a bit more comfortable.

“And you’ve been thinking about this, correct?” She asks her. Beca nods again. “That we have each other’s initials.”

“I don’t even believe in soulmates…..”Beca mutters, looking into Chloe’s eyes.

“They don’t have to be relationships, you know.”

“Yeah, have you seen anyone with a soulmate friendship? They always end up dating, or getting married, or whatever. “Beca scoffs.

Chloe doesn’t say anything. She can’t find anything to say. She tries, but no words come out.

“See. And I don’t believe in this whole soulmates bullshit anyways. Can I go now?” She doesn’t wait for Chloes answer, and just leaves the building, leaving Chloe behind her. She doesn’t know why her aches so much, but she pushes her feelings down, and goes back to her room, crawls into bed, and lets her tears shed. Why was she crying right now?

Chloe stands there in silence, not being able to say anything. She doesn’t know how long she’s just standing in the doorway, until Aubrey comes back from her meeting with her professor.

“God, Chloe. You almost gave me a heart attack. Chloe? Chloe!” She holds on to her shoulder and shakes her.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired.” She shakes it off, trying to escape from Aubrey’s tightening grip on her shoulders.

“Oh bullcrap. I know you so well Chloe.” She scoffs. “What’s wrong Chloe? Is it Tom? Because if he’s hurting you, I swear to god Chloe, I’m gonna kill him….”

“No no. It’s not Tom.”

“What is it then? Its Beca isn’t it? Oh my god Chloe. It is! What happened with ear monstrosities?”

“Nothing. Can you leave me alone?” She runs up to her room and slams the door shut, and bursting into tears. Why did she have to be like that to Aubrey? She knows she shouldn’t have, and she’s regretting it so much. And she shouldn’t have confronted Beca. Now she had ruined her relationship with Beca and Aubrey.

Somehow, she’s managed to fall asleep, and she’s woken up with a gentle knock on the door. “Chloe. I’m sorry about earlier. Can I come in?” She hears Aubrey’s voice. She gets out of bed, and opens the door.

“Chloe I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have stepped in. I just don’t want you to get hurt, you know.” She say, giving her a hug.

“I know Bree.” She sighs, burying her face in Aubrey’s shoulder.

“Do you like her Chloe?”Aubrey asks, and she doesn’t even need to answer. “I know Chloe. It’s okay.” She rubs her back as Chloe sobs into her shoulder.

Beca ’s about to miss two days of classes when her father comes in to her room. “Beca. Wake up. Beca?”

She flutters her eyes open. “Huh?”

“Beca. What’s wrong? I know you’re upset at me but you’re upset for a whole another reason. What’s up?”He asks.

“NOthinggggg. Just some soulmate bullshit.”

“Beca, are we talking about me and your mother, because…” He tries to start but Beca intervenes.

“No. It’s not about you and mom or you and Sheila. It’s about my soulmate. That is, if there is even one anymore.” She scoffs.

“Who do you think it is?”

“Chloe.”

“Chloe in the Bellas. Chloe Beale?” He opens his eyes wide. “Oh Beca. That’s great!”

“No it isn’t. I just messed up our whole friendship. I just yelled at her and ran off.” She says looking down.

“Oh Beca, go talk to her. You might even find out that she’s not even your soulmate.” He says patting her on her shoulder. “Now go talk to her or go to your philosophy class.” He says to her and leaves the room.

Now Beca had no choice. She had to go see Chloe. Right? She gets up, takes a shower and gets ready to head to the auditorium to find Chloe.

Chloe decided that she would keep skipping practice until she was okay, and that probably meant for eternity. That’s why she’s surprised, when she hears a knock at the door. It couldn’t be anyone other than Aubrey, right? But Aubreys at practice right now, and she always texts before she comes back, asking if she needed anything from the mini-mart. That meant someone else was at the door. Right? What if its a…..

“Chloe?” The door opens and Chloe jumps, but there she is, Beca Mitchell, standing in front of the doorway of Chloe’s room.

“Oh my god Beca! You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” She says now trying to calm herself down. Her heart was pounding and it didn’t seem to stop. Was it her being scared, or was it because Beca’s here?

“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I went to the auditorium, and you weren’t there. Aubrey gave me her keys and told me you were here.” She says as she slowly steps into the room. “I should’ve called. Or whatever….” She mutters, waiting for permission to come into the room. “I needed to talk to you.” Chloe shifts in her bed, making room for Beca to sit, and she takes it as an go sign to walk into the room.

“What’s up?” Chloe says in her most normal-im-okay-but-kinda-not tone.

“Soulmates.” She just says, looking at Chloe.

“Soulmates.” She repeats. “What about them?” She grips her fist tight, nails turning her palms white as she clutches. She’s nervous. She didn’t realize it until now, but she’s nervous. She’s nervous about what Beca is going to say. How it might change their relationship forever. How it might just come crashing down.

“What do you think about them? Do you believe in it?” Beca pauses. “Do you think we are?”

She’s been waiting for her to say this to hear her say it. She looks into her eyes. Beca’s beautiful blue eyes are twinkling. her tears are just barely there, right before spilling out of her eyes.

“Beca. I can’t. I can’t anymore…. I can’t pretend like we don’t have chemistry. Like we aren’t meant to be. I can’t do this anymore. Please tell me if I’m crazy, and I’m the only one feeling this between us. Because I’ll stop. I’ll stop if this is just me. So tell me. Am I the only one feeling our chemistry? The way sparks fly when we look at each other, how we slipped into it own world, that days in the shower? Tell me. please….” Chloe lets her tears spill out of her eyes, down her cheeks, and onto the comforter.

“Chloe….” Beca says, looking into her eyes, with her own tears down her cheeks. “I’m messed up. I’m damaged goods. You don’t want me….”

“I do though Beca. I really do. I can’t fight this anymore.”

That moment, no-one really knows what happens, or who kissed who first. It doesn’t matter anymore. Their lips touch, and their hands are around one another, and it’s perfect. No-one could break this moment.

“I love you Beca. I can’t help but love you.” Chloe smiles as she says so, lips still touching.

“I think I love you too Beale.” Beca chuckles.

“You THINK!? Beca THINK!? You don’t love me?” Chloe pouts, jokingly pushing her away.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. I love you Beale. There! Happy?” She says pecking her lip once again.

They’re kissing each other back and fourth, enjoying their moment together when they hear a knock on the door, and then the door opens.

“Finally. What took you so long?” Aubrey chuckles as she looks at them from the doorway.

“Nothing. Beca just had to realize that I was here.”Chloe chuckles as she pokes the younger brunette.

“Heyyyyyy!” Beca pouts, burying her face in Chloe’s hair.

“You two are disgustingly adorable. Don’t hurt her Beca. Or else, I’ll hunt you down and murder you. I’m not kidding.” Aubrey ays as she walks out.

“I love you too!” Chloe giggles kissing Beca’s head. “So are you going to come back to practice now?” She asks as she wraps her arms around Beca and pulls her down to her bed, making them lay down.

“Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you’re gonna drag me to them now right?” Beca asks, lifting her head up, and looking at the ginger’s eyes.

“Yup. That’s totally going to happen. But don’t worry. It’ll be worth it.” She gives a quick peck on the lips. “So, does this mean you’re gonna be mine girlfriend?”

“Um…… I guess?”

“Um… YOU GUESS!? Seriously? Get out of my room!” She jokingly pushes the brunette off of her.

“Sorry! Sorry! I would love to be your girlfriend. “ She says to her, trying to not get pushed off of the bed.

“Awwwww. Yay!” She wraps her arms back around her.

“Love you too. “ Beca says laying back on top of her. She didn’t believe in soulmates before, but now she did, and it’s a good change for her. She knows she’s going to be so much happier, and maybe Barden wasn’t that bad after all.

She then realizes that Chloe’s a senior.

But right now, it doesn’t matter, she presses a gentle kiss on the ginger’s lips and closes her eyes, falling asleep.

#bechloe #soulmates au #pitch perfect fan drive #I didn't know how to end it #I tried #please forgive me #I hope y'all enjoy it #ppfandomdrive

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tiny-maus-boots · 4 years

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Queen of Hearts pt 7

As a rule, Aubrey never let anyone insult or try to intimidate her. She had been bullied and been a bully so she was familiar with all the ways to cut a person down with no more than a glance. It’s why she wasn’t the least bit phased by the idea of facing the Conrads, they were polite bullies but bullies just the same. She glanced to her right at Lilly holding her Halliburton briefcase then back at the large front door that was swinging inward. A housekeeper stood just inside, smile pleasant and calm. Aubrey tipped her head in a shallow nod of greeting, her voice a low, warm burr.

“Hello Louisa, are Mr. and Mrs. Conrad home?”

“Miss Aubrey, how unexpected.” She looked past Aubrey and Lilly toward the driveway then frowned slightly. “Miss Stacie isn’t with you?”

“No, I came to see the Conrads on my own.”

One dark and perfectly tweezed brow raised in silent question. Louisa was a kind enough person, she certainly seemed to feel real affection for Stacie, but it was clear she was the gatekeeper and none would pass unless she approved first. Aubrey didn’t expect to get that approval simply because she’d shown up last time and been announced as Stacie’s girlfriend. Louisa and the Conrads themselves didn’t really know her. And that was precisely why she was there now. She wanted them to know exactly who she was.

“And what should I say your visit is regarding?”

While she respected the woman’s backbone, she didn’t really feel like explaining herself. “Personal matters.” Louisa’s eyes narrowed slightly judging and measuring her. Aubrey stood there patiently waiting for a moment before she opted to explain further. “Regarding Stacie.”

“All right. If you’ll follow me.” Something passed across the woman’s face, a slight softening of her features and she gave a slow nod of agreement. She led them down the same hall Aubrey had been before, taking them to the large drawing room at the end. “Please make yourselves comfortable and I’ll see if the Conrads are available for guests.”

“I would like to speak to Mrs. Conrad first and alone if possible, please.”

Another raised brow but a slow, uncertain nod was her only response. Lilly, her silent shadow, walked around the room, eyes roving over everything in it. Louisa watched her for a moment then turned and left, presumably to find the Conrads.

Aubrey settled herself on couch, casually stretching an arm along the back of it. She wasn’t scared exactly because she wasn’t afraid of anything really. But she was nervous. Helene Conrad was an imposing figure and one she hoped to win over. If for no other reason than to hopefully ease the tension between Stacie and her parents. Or. At least. Her mother. The blonde seriously doubted that August Conrad would come around to accepting her in any part of their lives.

The grandfather clock along one wall ticked by exactly in time with her watch with metronomic proficiency, each second passing loudly in the otherwise quiet room. It wasn’t a very long wait but enough to ratchet Aubrey’s mild nervousness to a slight panic making her want to loosen the suddenly chokingly stiff tie and collar. There was a chance Helene would never accept her, causing the rift between mother and daughter to widen to a gaping chasm. The thought of that caused her lips to pull down into a frown.

Stacie already had a difficult relationship with her parents, Aubrey didn’t want to do anything to make that worse. She might not have all the advantages and money that Stacie had growing up but she had at least had one parent that encouraged and cared for her. A parent that taught her to be the person she was with patience and understanding. A parent that accepted who she was without question simply because she was their kid. One parent that would have fought the whole world to protect her. Compared to Stacie, Aubrey felt rich for having a dad that loved her unconditionally.

If her dad had been alive maybe it would be different. Maybe this wouldn’t be as important to get right, because in the end Mickey Posen would have treated Stacie as his own. She knew her father would have swept Stacie into a welcoming hug the second he set eyes on her. The frown eased back into the blank neutrality of her poker face as soon as her ears picked up the muffled sound steps.

Helene came around the corner to the room and stopped to take in the sight of Aubrey looking entirely too at ease on her couch and Lilly looming in the corner giving the other two women a modicum of privacy. The older woman gave her a mildly assessing stare and let that perfectly bland smile settle onto her face.

“Miss Posen, to what do we owe the pleasure of such an unexpected visit?”

It was politely said but Aubrey could hear the annoyance in it. She showed up unannounced and Helene Conrad wasn’t above pointing it out. The blonde gave an easy smile and let out a calming breath before she raised her shoulder in a half shrug.

“I thought it prudent we speak; I would have made an appointment to see you and your husband but I didn’t want to run the risk of getting the run around.”

“Touché.” Helene dipped her dark head in acknowledgement that Aubrey would indeed have gotten the brush off. “Would you care for some coffee or a beverage?”

She honestly wasn’t thirsty and she wondered if Helene was offering it just to be polite. Aubrey considered it a tick before nodding slightly as she stroked a hand down her tie to smooth it into place, if it were being offered it would be rude not to accept.

“Tea would be lovely if you have it.”

The other woman gave her a measuring look before turning to Louisa with nod and a quiet thank you. Though Stacie might not agree, she was clearly her mother’s daughter. The resemblance was striking in more than looks alone and Aubrey found herself smiling softly at the curious tilt to Helene’s head and the slightly narrowed gold-flecked green eyes she levelled at the blonde.

“I get the impression you prefer to be frank, so let us cut to the chase. Why are you here Miss Posen?”

“I came to apologize.” It was the very last thing that Stacie’s mother had expected judging by the long slow blink she gave. Aubrey leaned forward a little with earnest intention, her elbows resting on her knees in a pose that had Helene raising a brow. “We left dinner so quickly I didn’t get a chance to thank you for your hospitality and…I never intended to cause a scene. I wanted to say I’m sorry about that.”

“Your humility is admirable and appreciated Miss Posen.”

It wasn’t a lot of a leader and but Aubrey knew it meant something to the other woman. She gave a dip of her head in a nod of acknowledgement and sat back as Louisa returned with a tray of tea. She waited to be served then took a sip before smiling her thanks at the housekeeper. Louisa left quietly closing the drawing room doors shut behind her but the quick inquisitive look she gave Aubrey as she left gave the impression that the woman heard every word ever spoken in that house.

“Stacie’s happiness is important to me Mrs. Conrad. I would never intentionally cause her to be hurt or embarrassed.”

“I think you believe that.” Helene took a sip of her tea and shrugged. “Be that as it may, the truth remains that you are a criminal Aubrey. You make your money off illegal activities and sooner or later, intentionally or not, it’s going to catch up to you and you’re going to get my daughter killed.”

She respected the directness even though it was a punch to the gut. Aubrey let the scalding tea cool a little longer, staring into the depths of her cup for several seconds as she weighed her words carefully.

“As I understand it, you and your husband weren’t this concerned about her safety when Weston was putting his hands on her.” The sudden silence made the tick of the clock sound thunderous. The blonde raised her eyes to meet Helene’s and waited as the woman worked through her outrage at the comment. “You know what the police found, what he was. He would have killed her sooner rather than later the way he was going. Do you honestly think she was better off then?”

“That was…regrettable. Of course, we never wished for Stacie to be in that situation but perceptions-“

“Perceptions mean a lot to you and your husband. I know. You can’t be seen openly accepting her life no matter how happy she is now, or how safe with me she may be. Right? What would people think?”

The older woman stayed silent as Aubrey placed her cup down gently on the tray and nodded her understanding of the position the woman was in. She wasn’t judging her for what she hadn’t done to protect Stacie in the past, she was simply acknowledging what was more important to the Conrads.

“You’re not quite the woman I expected you to be Aubrey.”

Aubrey raised her chin a little as she stood and straightened her tie. “No? What were you expecting?”

“A liar and among other things a brute.” It was surprising and she frowned in confusion. “I’ve met my fair share of liars, you’re not one. You’re nothing like he was.”

It was startling and she raised brows nearly to her hairline in question. Aubrey slipped her hands in her pockets and blinked at the still seated woman. Helene Conrad’s poker face was nearly as good as Beca’s and Aubrey couldn’t read anything in it. She assumed the ‘he’ was Weston and that being different was a good thing.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The smile was faint and fleeting but Aubrey was sure she’d seen it. She found herself re-evaluating her and wondering if Stacie’s mother might one day come around. Either way it was as much of an endorsement as she was going to get from the woman she suspected. Aubrey sighed softly and nodded feeling like she needed to say something in case there was any lingering doubt.

“I love her, Mrs. Conrad. Like I have never loved anyone or anything in my life. Lei è il mio sole, il centro del mio universe. It means-“

“I know what it means. And…if things were different…”

It was a theme in her life and Aubrey gave a short nod of understanding. If things were different, she wouldn’t be under a federal investigation, Beca would be her best man, and Stacie’s parents would love her more than they loved themselves and their reputations.

“I’ve asked her to marry me.”

“So, you’re asking for what? Permission or a blessing?”

“No, because we’re gonna get married with or without it. I came here to tell you that despite perceptions, I hope you’ll show Stacie that you care about her happiness and attend the event. She loves you very much.” Something passed behind Helene’s eyes but Aubrey couldn’t read the emotion in it with how quickly is disappeared. “Thank you for your time Mrs. Conrad, if it’s all right I’d like to see your husband now.”

Helene studied her a moment longer then placed her cup down and stood. Aubrey followed her to another room across the hall with Lilly still trailing behind them. The heavy oak door was closed and she could just barely hear the murmur of a man’s voice rising in frustrated anger from the other side. The brunette woman stopped and turned to really look at her one last time, still searching Aubrey’s face for something only she knew.

“He’s…obstinate.”

“Is that a warning?”

She didn’t answer, choosing instead to knock on the door and push it open. August Conrad looked up from the papers on his desk and frowned when he saw them standing there. He dropped the heavy pen on his desk and grunted.

“I’ll call you back.” Stacie’s father reached out and hung up the phone before leaning back in his chair and gesturing to Aubrey. “Posen. What do you want?”

Helene gave her a look and exited the room. Aubrey nodded and Lilly moved silently to the corner. The door closed with a click and she sauntered closer to the desk. It was different facing him, than it was Stacie’s mom. He was never going to approve of their relationship or accept Aubrey. She knew that and wasn’t there to try and bridge any gaps between him and his daughter.

“I’m here to talk business.”

“Business? As far as I’m concerned, we don’t have any business. You’re just the crook trying to get a slice of someone else’s pie.”

The tiny voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Detective Mitchell made an entirely inappropriate comeback but she only gave the barest twitch of a smile. It was just too easy and truthfully, she didn’t want to fall into the trap of playing his game. She didn’t wait to be offered a seat, Aubrey just settled into the nice plush chair across from him and crossed one leg over the other.

“That is exactly what I expected you would say in front of your constituents. But they’re not here right now and neither are the cameras.” She gestured around the otherwise empty office negligently as if he hadn’t noticed there was no one to grandstand for. “Do you know why I’m so good at the work I do Mr. Conrad?”

“I wouldn’t even begin to imagine.” He leaned back in his chair watching her with interest despite himself. It caused a muscle in his cheek to twitch with irritation.

“Research.”

“I’m sorry?”

She smiled slightly at his deliberate obtuseness and tipped her head slightly to the side in deep measuring thought. It made him uncomfortable and the cheek muscle spasmed again. People like August Conrad were never as clever as they thought they were.

“You see people come in and out of our lives so frequently that it’s hard to know who you’re really dealing with. In my particular line of work not knowing who you’re dealing with can be more than just a little dangerous, it could be devastating.” He gave her a bored look and she smiled wider. “I imagine you must go through the same thing with so many people clamoring to get your attention.”

“What the hell does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”

The bluntly unimpressed glare let her know he hadn’t put the dots together yet. Aubrey felt the amusement drain from her face even if the smile held steady. He wasn’t a stupid man by any means but he underestimated her and that was a mistake.

“I research everyone that I think might have a potential impact on my life. Including you Mr. Conrad.” She could see his feathers ruffling as he sucked in a breath to respond with but she waved him off. “Please. Let’s not pretend you don’t have a private investigator doing the same for you. The difference is I have access to information you won’t find on any credit report.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying or what you think you know but you won’t catch me caught up in anything untoward. I take my oath to public service and the office seriously.”

What started as an occasional twitch in his cheek was now a rapid uneven flutter of constant movement. His tone and his demeanor were right but his tell gave him away and she gave a slow nod as if she accepted him at face value.

“Weston was your money man, wasn’t he?” A glimmer of unease flickered in his eyes and she tsked softly. “I heard through the grapevine that he stole a lot of money from his clients.”

He said nothing, in fact he didn’t even breathe. She was treading to close to something he was worried about and she knew it. Aubrey drummed her fingers idly on her knee letting the silence stretch between them. She could feel him slowly suffocating in it as his anxiety rose high, pressuring him into speaking to break the quiet around them.

“Are you implying something Posen?”

“Not at all.” For a second, he seemed to breathe in a short sigh of relief but her lips quirked again in amusement as she casually gestured toward him. “Of course, if you had lost money, I’m sure you could recoup it from your campaign fund. But that would be illegal and you’d have to account for those funds somehow before too long. And you would never do that would you?”

August Conrad licked his dry lips and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His right hand came up to scratch lightly at the ever-present twitch. “No. I would not.”

“Of course not. Only crooks like me think that way, right?”

They stared at each other for a long minute, the new knowledge that they weren’t so different filling the space between them. She raised a finger and gestured for Lilly to come forward. Aubrey stared at him as locks on the briefcase clicked and popped open. The hinges gave a soft creak with the rising lid and he couldn’t hold her gaze any longer. His eyes drifted to the open case and widened at the cash lined in neat perfect stacks. It was impossible for him to hide the greed that twisted his distinguished features.

“What is this? A bribe?”

“Consider it a campaign contribution.” Aubrey jerked her chin at the desk and Lilly set the briefcase on it directly in front of him. It was too much temptation and he reached out to stroke the cash reverently. She stood easily and started for the door stopping to look over her shoulder at him. “I can be a very generous friend Mr. Conrad. We could help each other.”

He snorted at that and pulled out a stack to count the bills. Arrogance made his chest puff out as he tossed the money back into the briefcase negligently. It was the height of disrespect and he was just so damned sure of himself. Like every other politician and crook she’d ever met.

“She’ll hate you for this. Buying her off like a whore won’t win you any favors, Posen.”

Aubrey froze with her hand on the doorknob, her spine rigid with the flash of sudden anger. Her head turned slowly until she could pin him with an icy stare. She turned fully, deliberate steps bringing her to the front of his desk. One hand slowly pushed the lid of the briefcase shut as she leaned forward threateningly.

“The only whore I’m buying here…is you, August. I’ll call you when I want you to do something for me. And you’re gonna do it with a fucking smile on your face because you don’t ever want to disappoint me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

A fine tremor made his jaw tremble as he nodded quickly and Aubrey nodded in return. She eased back and tugged her vest down with a settling sigh before looking at her watch. She didn’t have time to hurt him and it would be counterproductive. A threat would work just as well as a beating in this case.

“And August? You call my future wife a whore again and I’ll cut out your tongue and hang you with it.”

She didn’t have to look back at him to make sure he got the message, Lilly playing with her butterfly knife was clear enough. He slumped back into his leather chair with relief the second she had stepped out of the office. It hadn’t been the opened armed acceptance she’d hoped but it could have gone worse. Still it gave her a better understanding of her soon to be in laws and her heart panged in her chest for Stacie.

“Family dinner tonight, Lil. Make sure everyone knows, hm?”

Aubrey couldn’t make up for the way Stacie had grown up but she could make sure it was just a distant memory. Maybe they were just a band of violent criminals. But they were a family, her family…their family. And that was more than anything that the Conrads had ever been to Stacie.

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wftc141 · 4 years

Text

Voltron: Global Military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit-Chapter 11: Revelation

1700 Hours

"So you're saying these guys aren't jihadists but Middle Eastern anarchist kind of terrorists?" Lance asked as paramedics gathered up the bodies from the safe house.

"Not just Middle Easterners," Allura corrected, turning back to the team. "It's an international terrorist organization intent on overthrowing governments worldwide."

"That's one helluva terrorist group."

"The militia we dealt with at the slum raid were also the Galra too, weren't they?" Pidge guessed.

"I'm afraid so," Allura nodded. "Cardozo confirmed it. We also have bad news from them. Earlier today, the Palácio do Planalto was just bombed before the attack on our safe house. There were no survivors."

The team were silent but Allura could read their shock and disgust and she could understand that. The Galra were willing to take innocent lives for a greater good.

"This is fucked up." Lance muttered.

"Where are they gonna strike next?" Keith asked.

She shook her head. "We're not sure."

"What about Shiro?"

Allura glanced at the floor in doubt, which was enough for an answer. She wasn't sure what Sendak was going to do with him but she prays that Shiro can hold his own.

Shiro was awakened by the bright illumination of light, flashing into his face. As his vision caught up, he noticed two looming figures standing over him. The only thing he remembered was getting hit by an explosion in the room before blacking out while trying to stop Sendak. Shiro found himself on a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He then got a clear look at the two figures' faces. Both were Middle Eastern and definitely part of the Galra. The two exchanged some words before one of them went up to Shiro.

"سگ آمریکایی! (American dog!)" the Galra terrorist yelled in farsi, punching Shiro.

The terrorist was then forcefully pulled away by the arm. Shiro's gaze locked onto Sendak as he stood next to the terrorist, holding his arm tightly.

"آیا از شما خواسته ام به او صدمه بزنید؟ (Did I ask you to harm him?)" he hissed in the same tongue.

"متاسفم ، برادر! (I'm sorry, brother!)" the Galra terrorist replied. "ما باید این سگ آمریکایی را حرف بزنیم! (We must make this American dog talk!)"

Sendak simply pulled out a pistol and shot the terrorist in the head. After ordering his partner to remove the body, Sendak turned back to Shiro.

"My apologies, Shirogane. I'm not here to harm someone who's treated me humanely." He said, holstering his pistol.

"It doesn't matter what you'll do to me." Shiro muttered, avoiding his gaze. "I'm already dead."

Sendak softly chuckled. He approached Shiro and stopped a couple feet away from him.

"I admire your courage but you have been misunderstood. I need you alive."

"Why?" Shiro growled. "Ain't I a liability? Ain't I just a soldier in your way?"

"You are...I'm impressed that your team managed to get this far but you're no use to us when you're dead."

Shiro refused to look Sendak in the eye. Whatever he was asking, he won't give in to his demands.

"You see Shirogane," Sendak said. "We're both warriors...we're both lions in a waging conflict riddled with deception. Our masters of war only see us as machines to fight pointless battles for empty glory. They sent me and my unit to Turkey to assassinate the prime minister so they can pin the blame on terrorists from their country.

It was a dirty operation because my master didn't want the Turks to step foot into our country. They had us pose as Al-Qaeda terrorists and ordered us to start a mass shooting at a football game where the prime minister was. I've killed so many men, women and children that I've lost count…"

Sendak paused before continuing.

"You know, those soldiers I killed in Iraq destroyed the hometown where I used to live. My father was trying to surrender when they shot him. My mother and sisters...they were raped before they were killed. I murdered them all when I found out what they did and all of a sudden...the government marked me as a terrorist. I am what I am because of what they did and I have no shame for that."

Shiro looked up where he faced Sendak's back of his head. He could understand his pain but that alone wasn't enough to forgive him.

"This does not change that you're responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. You killed my team and my brother."

"Hmm. I understand," Sendak turned around to approach Shiro. "Which is why I'm not going to kill you. In fact, you have a choice. You can join us and together we'll bring those government tyrants to their knees..."

His gloved hand then latched onto the back of Shiro's head and forcefully turned it to his direction, locking gazes with each other. Shiro glared intensely at the eyes of his enemy.

"...or you can be my prisoner and watch the government fall and your country burn."

Shiro remained silent. Just staring at his eyes makes him want to spit at him. He was sure as hell not willing to work with Sendak. However, keeping his mouth closed may have saved his life. Sendak let go of his head and stood up.

"I'll leave you to think about it," Sendak said, heading for the door where one of the terrorists was waiting. "I expect an answer by the time I return."

The door slammed shut and the lights went off. Shiro looked down to the ground. He can't let this slide. Sendak is not going to get away this time. But first, he needed to get the zip-ties off his wrists. They were surprisingly tighter this time.

1800 Hours

The first thing he saw as he slowly opened his eyes was the pale-coloured ceiling. Jem only remembered getting shot and passing out while getting dragged through a chaotic shootout by Stacy. It felt different to his field missions while he was with Interpol. Jem felt the dry insides of his mouth as he licked over it. He needed water.

As his vision began to clear up, Jem found himself on a bed with curtains surrounding him. He must've been taken to a nearby hospital. Jem helped himself to sit up, only to tense up. His waist hurts like hell, much as if a soccer ball hit his ribs. Looking down, he noticed he was in a gown as well as some needles injected to his hand. He couldn't lift up the gown to see where his wound was but hopefully it didn't puncture anything fatal. But after all, he was the youngest and the most vulnerable of the family.

Suddenly, the curtains opened, jolting him. Jem cursed, spinning towards the source of the sound while holding his arms in defence before noticing Stacy standing at the curtains with a water bottle on her free hand. Judging by her face, Jem must've surprised her too when he almost got scared. Something is giving him déjà vu vibes.

"He-," he uttered. "Bloody hell, you scared me."

Stacy snorted, letting slip a smirk. "Five years and you still haven't changed. How're you feeling?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Hurts when I sit up."

Stacy approached him and sat on the stool by the bedside. "The anaesthetic must've worn out while you were asleep. You want water?"

Jem nodded eagerly and took the bottle from her, downing about half of the water inside. He made sure not to move too much to avoid friction from the needles injected into his hands. He let out a sigh of relief as he took the bottle out of his mouth and handed it back to Stacy.

"Thanks, Stace. You're a lifesaver."

Her smile grew as she took the bottle off his hand. Jem couldn't help but stare at her short, ash blonde hair accompanied by the eyebrow piercing on her right eyebrow. He at first didn't recognise her when they met again five years later while Coran introduced him to Voltron. Still, he missed that long hair of hers and the feeling of running his hands through that silky sensation but changes happen in the end.

"You know..." Jem said, breaking the silence. "This is...some reunion."

Stacy glanced at him.

"I mean, it's been like a week since we met after five years and shit happened so fast, you know? Like, we caught a leader of a terrorist organisation and then we got attacked and lost him and I got shot and almost died. Crazy, huh?"

Jem began to titter and Stacy chuckled with him. "Yeah, it's crazy."

The moment of letting out their stress stopped. Turning towards her, Jem noticed her grin was still on as she stopped chuckling. Her eyes however give Jem a different meaning. Silence befell. Both were unable to think of anything to say. Then Jem figured something out that he didn't get to ask between the week.

"How's things?" The way he said it felt forced.

"Hmm?" Stacy looked up.

"I mean, we haven't seen each other since we…you know…"

"Broke up?"

"Y-yeah," Jem nodded, hiding the awkwardness in his voice."You must've been doing well, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"So...you got into the FBI, right?"

She nodded again. Stacy always wanted to be an analyst after graduation and was quite fond of the FBI whenever they talked about their careers.

"I almost didn't, actually" Stacy said. "I messed up the final test at the Academy but fortunately, there was some sort of error in the system so they let me off on this one."

"Really? What happened?"

"Dunno. But anyways, I was an ace at my job. Caught a lot of criminals, including that one terrorist that the FBI has been trying to catch for twenty years. You should see the look on his face when he found out I was part of the team who raided his hideout. Still doesn't believe women are capable of anything."

Stacy began to chuckle. Jem did the same but then stopped himself.

"W-Wait, you were involved in the raid?" He asked.

"Oh, right. Forgot to tell you," she replied. "I also applied as a field agent halfway during my five years there. I had to keep myself in shape and work out and take up a different diet. It was a pain in the ass but those years definitely paid off."

Jem glanced at her and noticed there were some changes in her body. Her arms were slightly toned and her shoulders fit the shirt well. Honestly, compared to his skinny build, she was quite in shape. Although Jem wasn't that skinny, he still felt inferior to her build. In other words, he was kind of envious.

"How about you, Jem?" Stacy asked. "Anything interesting happened? Apart from that raid while you were in the Intelligence Corps."

Jem sighed. Other than taking part in the field, nothing big happened in both the Intelligence Corps and Interpol. Jem leaned back onto his pillow behind him.

"Nothing much. Just paperwork and coding, the usual."

Stacy slightly nodded. Another pause between the two. Stacy then got up from the stool.

"Well, since you're fine now, I'll just head on out. Coran's waiting for me." She said.

"Y-Yeah. Got it," Jem muttered before realizing something. "W-wait! Stacy! I have something to tell you."

Stopping near the curtains, Stacy turned back to him. "What's up?"

Even though she was his ex, Jem still felt like his chest was going to burst. He needed to say those words.

"Thank you," He said. "For saving me."

A smile spread across her face. "You're welcome. Just don't...well, get shot again, okay?"

Jem snorted. "Promise."

"The way you said it is kinda making me concerned." Stacy blinked.

"Relax. I swear, I won't."

She nodded and turned away, heading for the door. "Alright. As long as you keep your end of the bargain. I'm heading out now. See ya."

"Later."

And then she left. Jem heard the door close as footsteps distances away from the room. Letting out a sigh, Jem placed his hand over his chest where he could feel his pulse punching its way out before slowly calming down. Were those feelings back in highschool resurfacing? He thought he had let it go ever since then. Or maybe they were just hibernating for years until he met Stacy again? Whatever it was, Jem couldn't figure out why. He slapped his hands over his face and groaned.

"Why now, Stacy? Why'd you gotta make me go through this again?"

While following Lance and Pidge, Keith and the two noticed Hunk just coming out of a room with one of his hands in his pocket.

"Yo, Hunk!" Lance called, grabbing his attention. "Where've ya been, ese? I had a feeling that you ran away."

"Lance!" Pidge and Keith hissed at the same time, prompting Lance to raise his hands.

"I'm joking."

"It's fine," Hunk assured. "I just got off a call with Shay and got some more information about the Galra Empire. She told me who they really are-"

"Yeah, we know they're buncha anarchists." Lance said.

"But there's a reason why the Galra is operating in Brazil."

"Which is?"

"The president has scheduled a meeting with the presidents of Colombia, and Venezuela for tomorrow morning. They're planning to discuss about a potential combined military and defence agency in response to the spike of crime and terrorism across their countries."

Pidge and Lance were surprised to hear it. They did hear about the meeting between the presidents but there wasn't any info about why.

"The news didn't say anything about this." Keith said.

"Sounds overkill for these three to come up with something like this." Pidge added.

"Kinda makes sense when you think about the stats on both crime and terrorism."

"And the Galra sees this as oppression." Hunk said.

"Wait, how does a journalist like her have access to information like that?" Lance asked.

"She has her ways apparently."

"Also, wouldn't the meeting be cancelled? Did they not get the news that a Brazilian government building was just bombed?"

"No they're still gonna go with the meeting despite what happened to Palácio do Planalto. She isn't sure about when or where the meeting's gonna happen but it's only a matter of time before the Galra begins their attack on the presidents."

"Team?" Allura called, grabbing everyone's attention. "I have some bad news."

The leader stepped in with the group, forming a circle.

"I just got off the phone with the higher ups...They want us to leave Brazil and return to London immediately."

Allura could tell nobody was happy with the news as she looked at the team's faces. She wasn't happy with it either. They'll be letting the Galra run amok and take more lives as part of their goal and worse, execute Shiro.

"We can't go back."

The team looked at Keith who was the first to break the silence.

"We can't!" He raised his voice. "Do they even know what happened to Shiro? Not only that, the Galra is going to attack the presidents and nobody knows but us! We can't just sit aside and let them take more innocent lives, let alone leave Shiro with the Galra. Somebody's gotta do something and we're their only hope. If we let them kill the presidents, what do you think's gonna happen to all of us?"

There was silence. It was the first time they heard Keith let out an outburst like that.

"He's right," Pidge spoke up. "We need to do something."

"I'm in too. I can't walk away on this either." Hunk said.

Lance hesitated for one moment. "Fuck it. I'm always up for some action."

To them, they assumed Allura's planning to give up and return to base, leaving Shiro to die. But she was impressed that they were willing to risk their lives to stop a catastrophe.

"I never said we were going back to headquarters."

The team looked at her, surprised.

"To hell with orders from the superiors," Allura said. "As far as we know, they could be on this like General Sanda. From now on, this is an unsanctioned operation. This means we won't have any support and we'll be disobeying commands which may get Voltron shut down and court marshalled. If any of you want to step down, you're free to do so right away."

Nobody said anything. They were all willing to fight back.

"We're not going to let the Galra commit another attack and we sure as hell are getting Shiro back."

The team nodded with their decision being final. There was no going back from this but if it's to ensure their leader is with them, nothing matters. That is, if Shiro's still alive at this rate.

"So what's the plan, Major?" Keith said.

"Брат, как поживает заключенный? (Brother, how's the prisoner doing, over?)" Fakhoury asked through the radio.

The only response that returned was the ear wrenching static. Barad was supposed to keep watch of the Voltron infidel Sendak wanted. He hasn't responded for the past thirty minutes and at this point, Fakhoury was sure Barad was slacking off as usual.

Letting out a hoarse sigh, Fakhoury got off his chair and snatched the AK-104 off the table before leaving the room. The gun itself was actually more efficient and comfortable to use than the old AK47s he and the insurgents used to carry. The Galra sure knows their weapons. Fakhoury headed downstairs, taking in the sweaty stench of the Brazilian streets. The city may be impressive but they will be leaving a message for the government so they could prepare for their fall.

Fakhoury arrived at the room where the Voltron infidel was. Barad wasn't at the door. Where could he be now, he wondered. He knew Barad wasn't fond of doing patrols and keeping watch to the point he would wander off to have a smoke. Fakhoury let out a sigh and got out his radio.

"Барад, где, черт возьми, ты? (Barad, where the hell are you, over?)" he asked before pausing.

Fakhoury thought he heard his voice from the room. Now he was getting confused. Without thinking it through, Fakhoury opened the door which for some reason was unlocked.

"(Bara-)"

He froze, holding his breath short. There, lying on the floor, was Barad and the chair that the Voltron infidel was supposed to be on was empty and tumbled. Fakhoury rushed towards Barad and bent down to check on him. His wide, soulless eyes stared at the ceiling as he checked for a pulse. Fakhoury noticed red marks over his neck, fresh and warm. He was too focused on his friend's demise to radio in Sendak.

Standing up, Fakhoury felt a strange aura behind him. He spun around and glanced across the room. There was no sign of the infidel at all but Fakhoury still felt like he wasn't alone. He wasn't sure what to do now. Turning around to the body, he noticed the barrel of a pistol aiming at him from the side of Barad's head.

He pulled the trigger, letting the loud bang rip across the room. Shiro heard the round hit the terrorist and pushed the body off him. Pulling himself up, he approached the wounded terrorist holding his neck while stumbling back and gurgling in his own blood. Shiro fired two more well-placed rounds to his chest, enough to make him trip over while dodging the terrorist's misfired rounds.

Once Shiro made sure he wasn't getting back up, he flicked the safety of the Glock 18 back on and rubbed his bruised wrists. It stung like hell but it was the only way to get off these zip ties. He approached the terrorist he strangled just after breaking free of the zip ties and took the suppressed AK-104 and his plate carrier fitted with ammo.

After putting his plate carrier on, Shiro then heard faint footsteps from outside. His prediction was correct. Raising his rifle, Shiro walked out of the room and cautiously checked his surroundings as he moved down the hallway. The footsteps closed in from the corner and the last terrorist appeared. Shiro let single fire rounds rip and dropped the terrorist before he could react. Approaching the body, he fired two more rounds to the head just for precaution.

As he went upstairs from where the terrorist came from, he noticed the rusty, metallic stairs and the industrial-like setting surrounding him. Shiro would assume this is a warehouse that the Galra set up as a hideout. Arriving at the upper floor, he found a room with an open door. Entering the room, he made sure to check every corner throughout the room before confirming it was clear. Shiro's eyes then landed on something that caught his attention. At the very middle of the room among the tables filled with weapons and ammunition was a wide board with everything stuck together in one piece. There were sticky notes and strings connected to the pins holding up photos.

Shiro was able to read the entire board to realise how capable the Galra was. They knew everything about Voltron. Their tactics, their movement, everything. That was how they got the upper hand. The ambushes in Pakistan, Dubai and Qatar were all tests to prove their exploitation.

Shiro then read the rest of the board and noticed a photograph of a building which looked to be the Palâcio do Planalto with a red X crossed over it. The Galra must've done something to the building. Shiro looked over and found three separate photographs of men in suits with flags attached to it and red X's crossed over each of their faces, as well as a cutout of a newspaper article in English. There was Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. These three are the presidents of those countries. Shiro needed to know what their relation is to Galra.

He took the newspaper cutout off the board and read it. It seemed to be about some sort of 'secret' meeting between the presidents which was cancelled due to the bombing of the Planalto in Brasilia. The word 'cancelled' was circled in red with the word 'LIES'. Then Shiro noticed another photograph of a building which looked to have been taken recently with a red circle over it. The building itself was strangely different compared to the Planalto. Was it their secret hideout? He noticed a sticky note attached next to it with the address written on it. Shiro realized that the Galra must've seen through the cover story of the meeting and somehow figured out where the presidents were going to be at. He then noticed another sticky note saying:

'Tomorrow

9:30 AM

We strike'

There was only one final conclusion to this. The Galra is going to kill the presidents and possibly abolish the countries' system.

Thankfully, Shiro found a phone lying on the table as he frantically searched for a way for contact. They need to know this. Shiro dialed Allura's number and held the phone to his ear. The beeps repeated multiple times as a couple of seconds had passed. Shiro's fingers tapped on the table as he anxiously waited.

"Pick up, pick up." He muttered.

The beeping stopped shortly.

"Hello?" Allura answered.

"This is Black Lion." Shiro responded.

There was a brief pause. "Shiro? Is that you?" "Yeah. Listen, Sendak and his men are gonna attack the presidents-"

"I know. We're sending the Lions there to stop the attack. Where are you-"

Shiro needed to get his message through. "Do you know where the presidents are meeting at?"

A brief pause filled the air. "Not yet. We're getting Coran and his analysts to pinpoint their location. You found something?"

"Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. They have a secret hideout in Goiânia and the Galra must've figured out their location. That must be where the presidents are going to be tomorrow. I got the address too."

"Alright. I'll relay this to the team. What's the address?"

Shiro took the sticky note off the board and read the address aloud. "R. 15, 32-148, St. Central."

"Got it," Allura said. "I'm gonna send the team to pick you up. Where are you right now?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll meet the team there."

As soon as he hung up, Shiro immediately crushed the phone with his boot, making sure the chip inside was destroyed with the phone. Now to get out of this place and find the team. As he made his way out of the room, Shiro turned around to look at the board one more time. The Galra were smart and dangerous. Possibly more dangerous than Al Qaeda or ISIS, especially with their motives and views. But no matter their perspectives, Voltron's purpose is to take down and prevent terrorism around the world and that is what Shiro and his team is going to do. Looking away, Shiro left the room and set off to put a stop to Sendak's mission.

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daringspirits · 5 years

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“Dear old world’, she murmured, ‘you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”

— Anne Shirley (by Lucy Maud Montgomery, in Anne of Green Gables)

Basic Information: Age: 19 years old Gender: Cisfemale Sexuality: Bisexual Nationality: Canadian Career: University student (Double major: English & Political Science) Living space: Dorm room (shared with Violet Harmon) (Birth) Parents: Walter Shirley, Bertha Shirley Canon: Anne with an E

In Avonlea:

”I like imagining better than remembering.”

Her life before adoption was not great. She spent most of her life in Saint Alban’s orphanage, in between being leased out to other homes to work as a servant/maid. The other girls in the orphanage, and they liked to terrorize her. The matron and other staff members disliked her just as much, and she was punished often. The most notable family that she worked for was the Hammonds. Mrs. Hammond had eight children, and Anne’s job was to take care of them. When she wasn’t quick enough or didn’t do as good of a job as the Hammonds had wanted, she was beaten, or whipped. On one such instance, Mr. Hammond had a heart attack and died right next to Anne. She was quickly sent back to Saint Alban’s, and shortly afterwards she was sent to Avonlea, to the Cuthberts and Green Gables.

”Every little while, this horrible, sickening feeling would come over me, and I’d be so afraid that this was all a dream. But I just had to one more time. This is real. Green Gables is real and we’re home.”

The Cuthberts had wanted a boy from the orphanage, but instead, they’d been sent Anne. Anne fell in love with Green Gables and Avonlea almost instantly, and she quickly found a friend in Matthew Cuthbert. Matthew had fallen for the girl almost instantly, and quickly made it clear that he wanted her to stay, but Marilla needed more convincing. But it didn’t take long, and after some choice declarations in a train station, and an apology from Marilla, the Cuthberts added Anne to their little family— and they hired a farmhand named Jerry Baynard, an Acadian boy.

”I solemnly swear to be faithful to my bosom friend, Diana Barry, for as long as the sun and moon shall endure.”

The Barrys are the Cuthberts’ neighbors, and were of a much higher class. When Anne first met Diana, she was as quiet as a mouse, warned by Marilla to be careful with how she spoke and acted as the Barrys were a harsh sort when it came to misbehavior. But once the two were alone, Anne entranced Diana with her fantastical stories and her freedom and wildness. And that was when they became bosom friends. They’ve had their bumps along the road, but they are each other’s number one. Anne loves Diana with all her heart.

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out that there are so many of them in the world.”

Anne was excited to go to school, but her first days weren’t all that great. She made mistakes, and the kids of Avonlea had prejudices that they carried from their parents, so it was hard for her to make friends. It didn’t help that Billy Andrews and Josie Pye were being bullies. But Diana was at her side, and after the Gillis Fire, Ruby was at her side too. She became friends with Aunt Josephine, Diana’s lesbian great-aunt and Mrs. Lynde and Miss Stacy and with the passage of time, the rest of the girls became her friends too. She found kindred spirits within the boys as well, namely Cole Mackenzie, the farm-boy who dreams of being an artist, and Jerry, the farmhand turned nuisance, turned close friend. She meets Sebastian and Mary through Gilbert Blythe, and the Blythe-Lacroixs become part of the Cuthbert family. And when she meets Ka’kwet, a Mi’kmaq girl, Anne befriends her just as easily as she would anyone else.

“Perhaps love unfolds, out of a burgeoning friendship, as a golden-hearted rose, slips from its green sheath.”

Gilbert Blythe was a nuisance to Anne since the moment he pulled her braid and called her ‘carrots’. His interest in her was the single-most largest obstacle between Anne herself and the friendship of the other girls. No matter what he did or said, Anne could not be convinced to think of him as anything other than an annoying rival in the classroom. That is, of course, until his father died. She made a mess of things, as she always does, and managed to hurt his feelings. Eventually they apologize to one another, and when he comes back from his months at sea, he brings with him Bash, and with Bash came Mary, and soon the Lacroix-Blythes and the Cuthberts are like kin. And then— then she falls in love.

As of the Season 3 Finale:

Anne has grown a lot through the course of the season, and turning 16. She befriends a Mi’kmaq girl, Ka’kwet, embarks on a journey to find her true origin, and falls in love. Anne writes an article on the Mi’kmaq, and then an article titled “What is Fair?” in an attempt to bring to light the injustices against women, inspired by the lack of justice shown for what had happened to her friend Josie Pye. She faces her past, Cole joining her as she visits Saint Alban’s Orphanage one last time. And she makes plans for the future by taking her Queen’s exams, and celebrating her graduation with her classmates.

By the end of season 3, Anne knows of Walter and Bertha Shirley, and what Bertha looked like, and that they are teachers. She is living in Mrs. Blackmore’s boarding house, and is about to start her first term at Queen’s alongside most of her school-mates, save Gilbert. Gilbert has decided to go to the University of Toronto— and Anne and Gilbert have decided to become pen-pals, furthering their connection in this time apart. And they have kissed. Three times.

Personality:

Anne is a passionate individual, who loves with all her heart. She cares for the people she cares for, and has a talent for making friends of the unlikeliest of people. She is loyal to her friends, and her friends are usually not limited to those in her age group. She is intelligent and has a thirst for knowledge, and she has a very strong sense of justice and what is right and wrong. She is spunky, and she also has an ability to find the beauty in the mundane. Her imagination is large, and she adores writing in all forms. (She also does quote literature sometimes.) But she is also odd, and insecure and stubborn beyond compare. Her past has hurt her, after all. This is the girl who was determined to hate a boy for the rest of her life, the girl who wouldn’t budge from the residential school until Ka’kwet’s mother pushed her to. She also sometimes has the problem of making plans and acting without fully considering the consequences, but this is a flaw she continues to work on. She’s hurt people, friends, because of her lack of forethought.

Los Angeles:

About a year ago, things finally fell into place in Anne’s mind. Dreams were revealed to be long-lost memories, and the rolling waves and the acres of green fields she’d seen in her mind’s eye had been the images of Avonlea and Green Gables that her soul had been unable to forget. The necklace that she’d always worn was the one she shared with her dearest bosom friend, the sketch she’d lovingly kept on her dresser was made by Cole, the beads hung on her mirror were the ones she’d traded with Ka’kwet, her cherished charm bracelet had been given to her by Matthew, and the pen— the pen sitting in a forgotten drawer in her current room had been the one she’d used since the grifters had come to Avonlea. It was almost laughably easy to reconcile her memories with her current life as all it did was provide clarity to the questions she’d had about her own self. Not that she’d told many people about this— no, the only one who knew it all was Lyra. Lyra, her closest friend here, her kindred spirit. Now that she remembered Diana, nobody could take her bosom friend’s place in her heart, but Anne knew that her heart was big enough for more, and there were plenty of people here in Los Angeles that she adored with everything she had.

#child abuse tw #abuse tw #who is anne with an e | about #this will probably be updated once ive got everything down on anne's life thus far in LA #angeles:intro

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septic-dr-schneep · 6 years

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February Whump Day Two: Peer Pressure

The entire evening had been planned, up until the very moment the two of them would step out of the cab, walk the walk and talk the talk until they’d made it up the porch steps, through the house, and to their room. They would snuggle up into bed together, practically sharing one pillow because they were so close, and they’d fall asleep to the sound of each other’s slow, peaceful breaths with smiles on their faces.

That was what Chase had hoped—craved—and yet he could already see it flashing before his eyes, slipping away. Stacy’s eyes were flashing too, frustration sparking and reflecting the light of the little candle on the restaurant table between them.

“I already told you, I don’t want to talk about this!” she hissed, jamming her phone back into her purse. “Not here, okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Holding up his hands placatingly, Chase leaned back into the leather booth cushion, shaking his head. “You started it by picking up the phone. I don’t know why you checked the text in the first place!”

Incredulously she sputtered. “It was from my sister, who’s babysitting our children right now so we could go on this date! What if something were wrong? What if Connor’s allergies were kicking up?”

“Well, you’re making my point for me; that’s exactly why I said we shouldn’t leave them with her!” When Stacy opened her mouth to retort, Chase held up one hand again, speaking over her. “Hey, you can’t tell me that if there were an actual emergency, they wouldn’t be better off right now with my brothers, since one of them is an actual doctor. And the kids like it better with them anyway; they have more fun.”

“Chase! Sarah’s doing us a favor!”

“Yeah, just not very well. She can deal with their needs just fine, but she’s not that good with them!”

With a disgusted huff, Stacy snatched up her purse, tossing it up over her shoulder as she rose. “Okay, then, I’ll go pick them up if you’re so concerned about it! And on the way home I’ll ask them if they had fun, because I certainly haven’t!”

“W-Wait, Stacy—!” Chase’s half-formed protests stuck in his throat as he watched her stalk out, his heart sinking into his stomach. Before he could decide whether or not to sit back down or move to follow her, he was getting sympathetic looks from a group of guys up near the bar.

“Didn’t even get to the wine,” one of them sighed, clicking his tongue. “That’s rough, buddy.” When Chase only offered him a despairing glance, he tilted his head, a lopsided smile emerging with it. “Hey. Care to take the edge off with us? The tab’s on me.”

The last time he had gotten home hammered, Stacy had slapped him—and she’d probably had good reason to, Chase recalled with a wince. “Ehh, I should probably go catch up, since she’s my ride…”

“Can’t hold your liquor?” one of the others snarked, shoving him mockingly as he tried to pass and knocking him into the one who had spoken first, who caught him around the shoulders.

“Listen, lemme give you some advice,” he began, steering him toward the nearest open barstool, “With women like that, drinking away the sorrows is pretty much the only good time you can get. There are cabs you can call, right? Besides, Blondie’s the one missing out.” With a gesture to the bartender, he got a bottle of whiskey plunked onto the counter, lights reflecting as the amber liquid sloshed enticingly back and forth. “Who says you can’t have fun without her?”

Don’t get drunk, an alarm in the back of his mind rang urgently. Don’t get drunk, it’s a work night. Don’t get drunk, the kids are gonna see. Don’t get drunk, Stacy’s gonna kill you. Don’t get drunk, you’ve gotta go and apologize! Just go after her! Just go and make it right!

But he’d come here for a fun night out, hadn’t he? And the rest of the guys in the group were already pouring generously large glasses—one of them for him. It’d be a shame to waste a glass that had already been poured.

Near the crack of dawn, Jackieboy startled painfully awake to the shrill sound of his phone on the nightstand. On the other end, Chase was in breathless tears, coughing against the blood pouring from his throbbing broken nose and the swollen split in his lip as he slumped against the payphone stand, using the last of his change that his new “friends” had missed while tearing through his pockets.

#youtube #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #youtube fanfiction #writersofjack #ficlet #chase brody #stacy brody #jackieboy man #peer pressure #february whump

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viostormcaller · 6 years

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Ego Headcanons: Chase Brody

As you can tell, I'm not doing these in any particular order. Once I have half a coherent thought I'll start whichever one I decide next XD my brain decided on Chase, so here goes (WARNING THIS ONE IS INSANELY LONG):

Chase has been friends with Jack the longest. They met years ago and started their channels around the same time. Their content varies very differently from each others, but they've always supported one another, hence why they're so close

Chase was never a very popular kid in school. He didn't get the best grades and didn't see himself as anything special. He saw himself as simply "average", and that's where the name of his channel came from.

He went to a very religious school. Chase, however, is not religious. He's open to it, but he hated how the teachers treated the students. He got in trouble with them a lot because of that.

Home life was equally as hard. He wasn't treated the best by his parents either. This caused him to develop depression around middle school. It went untreated for years and gradually got worse.

He started the channel to give himself something to live for and look forward to each day. He loved making videos and loved connecting with the community, and it really helped with his loneliness. Eventually, his videos were doing well enough that, once he was monetized, he was able to move out of his parents' place and get a tiny apartment of his own.

He started the channel with the help of his high school friend Chad. The puppet of him is a running joke between them.

Chase met Stacy because of the channel. He ran into her in a coffee shop and she recognized him. They hit it off immediately. They grew close over time, got married, and had two kids, Samantha and Grayson.

Chase tried his hardest to upkeep the channel, but his content wasn't very popular, sadly. The lack of views made it hard to pay the bills most times because of the lack of revenue coming in. The expectation that because Chase was fairly well-known he should be making a lot of money, is what slowly drove Stacy away. Chase had been doing his channel for fun, not for money, so this expectation made things a lot harder on him.

Things began to go downhill once his ideas for stunts slowed. His depression was getting bad again and his energy was dropping. The pressure to make money and get views was weighing on him as well, and the quality of his videos were dropping. The community noticed this and urged him to take a break, but he refused because he couldn't if he wanted to keep his relationship with Stacy.

His two kids were his entire world. Every second he wasn't working was devoted to his family. He tried his best to be a good husband for Stacy, as well, even if they didn't have a lot of time for each other since Chase was bringing in the income and had to work more. But he always treated his family with love and respect and cherished them.

The divorce was his breaking point. After all his efforts to keep the family together, things fell apart anyway. He worked so hard and so much and was put under so much pressure and had very little support. His channel wasn't making him happy, and it wasn't making his kids and his wife happy because he couldn't support them as much as he wanted, and once they left he felt he had nothing left to live for.

Chase attempted suicide on a livestream that was shortly taken down afterwards, though snippets of it were saved by viewers and were spread around the internet.

When Chase was taken in for emergency surgery, the paramedics took him to a doctor who they knew would save his life. This is how he met Dr. Schneeplestein.

Chase had been in a coma for two months, and was put under watch for another two months after he woke up. Schneep made sure he was the doctor in charge of caring for Chase, and kept a close eye on him while he was regaining mobility and recovering. After many intensive therapy sessions and medication adjustments, Chase was finally allowed to go home. He had moved out shortly after the divorce, before the attempt, so he at least still had a place to live.

Jack and Schneep both visited Chase regularly. Jack had already become friends with Schneep before, so the three became very close. It was Jack that paid Chase's rent while he was in the hospital. Chase cried when Jack told him that

Chase made an apology video to the community and stated that that would be his last video for a really long time, if not forever. He took a long break from the channel as he tried to put together the pieces of what his life had become.

Schneep, having also been through a nasty divorce, helped Chase through the process and gave him advice. About a week before Jack fell ill, Schneep had taken Chase to go see his family and talk things out. This was before his shift at the hospital, so he didn't know the outcome

When Chase got the news that Henrik had been kidnapped and Jack was comatose, Chase decided to repay the favor he owed to them both and took over Jack's channel. He moved out of the apartment he lived at and into the house where the other Egos lived (which at the time were Marvin and Jackieboy Man).

While Jackie was busy most days hunting down Schneep and Anti, Marvin became Chase's protector. They grew close this way.

After a months-long battle, Chase got partial custody of his kids, allowing him to see them on weekends. This was a huge win for him.

Chase didn't have the time to go to therapy because of the management of Jack's channel and taking care of the kids on weekends, so he turned to alcohol to cope with the lack of a support system. Even though he could see his kids, the fact his two best friends were gone slowly broke him, but he knew he had to keep going.

When Jameson came along, Chase immediately knew he had to protect him. He pretty much adopted him as his son a few days after they met. They became very close very quickly, and the relationship they shared proved to be very good for Chase

When Schneep returned nine months later, the four of them helped Schneep ease back into being free again and helped him recover. Chase was there for him the most, wanting to return the favor back when Schneep helped him recover. Once he was well enough, they became drinking buddies, considering they both had the same bad habits and a lot to talk about. Chase prefers whiskey over anything else

He visits Jack three times a week to talk to him. He misses him dearly and desperately hopes he can hear him. He doesn't know that Jack actually can.

Despite his depressing past, Chase truly is a kid at heart, more so than the others. His smiles are one of the brightest you'll see, and his laughs are infectious.

He's a lover of Disney movies and he happily shares this with Jameson. He loves movies in general, but Disney is his favorite. He also adores Kingdom Hearts as a result. He tried to explain the plot to Jameson. He didn't get it.

Chase owns a lot of toys. Legos, action figures, race cars, Nerf guns, you name it. He even owns a few stuffed animals! He actually does play with them all, too; they're not just for show. The others assume he just collects toys, except for Schneep. He's the only other person who knows, and he vowed to keep it their secret. On the mornings where the others are busy and they're the only two in the house, Schneep will watch Chase play with his toys in his room while he sips coffee. It's some of their favorite moments they share together

Chase has an unashamed love for dinosaurs. He has gray pajamas with green dinosaurs on them and he openly wears them around the house. He often gets teased about it, which he responds by sticking his tongue out at whoever is doing the teasing

His favorite hat was a gift from Jack. He's rarely seen without it

Chase knows when to be mature and when to relax. He may not appear so, but he can really get focused when he has to, especially when it comes to the things that mean the most to him. Family is one of those things

Chase suffers from phantom pains and migraines because of the gunshot wound in his temple. On the days it's too bad to leave his bed, Marvin takes over the channel, and Schneep takes care of him. He also suffers from flashbacks and panic attacks, but he has people there to ground him

Chase is Bisexual. He's only been in relationships with women so far, and as of now he hasn't had the motivation to see anyone else. His family comes first, the channel second, and that's what he's choosing to focus on right now. He does want Stacy back, though, but he doubts it'll ever happen.

Aaaaaand I think that's it! At least, I hope it is. This one is REALLY fucking long and I wasn't expecting it to be, so sorry about that! I think the next longest one will be Schneep's probably, so I may do him next to get him outta the way. Idk

#jacksepticeye #chase brody #septicego hc #septicego headcanon #suicide tw #abuse tw #alcohol tw #long post #vio stormcaller

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thephantomofthe-internet · 6 years

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Pernicies (Eros p.t. 11)

Billy Hargrove x Reader, Jonathan Byers x Reader (Unrequited)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

Word count: 3314

Warnings: swearing, drinking, sadness

Author’s Note: I’m having way too much fun with this, that is all

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @denimjacketkisses @steveharringtonofficial @flamehairedwritings @flamehairedwritings @nistaposebno @hargroovin

Series Tag: @hargrovesgoldilocks @wtf-richarddd @sighsophiia @baebee35 @ijustwantahugfromtennant @rhyxn @wearemightyghosts @toriasaysso @random-stupid-stuffs @so-not-hotmess @warsintothestars @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @angellastor @aaliyonte @baileythepenguin @sleepyspacegal @kingbouji3 @abbyed

You and Billy didn’t speak until Vicki Matthews’ eighteenth birthday party, three weeks later. During that time, you divided your days equally between Jonathan and your friends. You spent more and more time at Barb’s grave, which gave your comfort and a sense of her still being with you. You imagined her ghost holding you as you wrote her silent letters in a journal you’d bought shortly before it was announced that she’d been killed by Hawkins Labs. It was a nice for two reasons-one, it was quiet, as cemeteries often are, and two, Billy didn’t know where it was, hell he didn’t even know about Barb, that was one area you kept private. Sitting in the silence each afternoon, in the bitter cold, you felt as though the plot was calm in an ever present storm. It was better than being home where everything felt like a wake, except the memorialized was still alive and haunting the halls. Here, you felt like you didn’t have to be strong all the time, if you needed to cry it was okay, there was no judgement. You didn’t believe in any one type of afterlife and ghosts weren’t exactly something you thought much about, but you knew her energy was there, holding you and keeping you company.

This was the longest you’d gone without talking to Billy. When you fought, which seemed to be often, you almost always made up. And Billy certainly had tried, he’d been haunting your locker and outside your classes for weeks, but every time you got close, he’d leave. It was almost a game of cat and mouse, except you weren’t chasing back. It seemed Billy couldn’t decide if he was the cat or the mouse, chasing and running wild. It was disconcerting, but you knew him too well. He wanted to apologize or at least talk, but his pride acted like a wall and he couldn’t pass by it. He needed you to come to him, to bypass his walls and make him feel he was in the right and his effort was noticed. But this time you couldn’t submit to his feeble vanity. He’d hurt you too much this time. He was a hypocrite and if he couldn’t admit to it, you wouldn’t force him to.

But just because you and Billy weren’t talking, didn’t mean Valerie stopped talking to you. In fact, it was the exact opposite-she wouldn’t leave you alone. Every day as you headed towards Stacy and Freddie, she’d grab your arm and try to force you over to her and Billy’s table. You knew this was for two reasons; one, she wanted you two to make up, and two, if you were there then she had an excuse to not let Billy feel her up over the meatloaf. Every single time you refused, stating the same reason:

“I’m not in the mood to be your pathetic third wheel.” You’d say, parroting Billy’s cruel word. Valerie would always come up with an apology and a cheap reassurance that you weren’t a third wheel, but you never listened.

Today, however, was different. As Valerie grabbed you to force you around and you tried to rip your arm away, crying out “Val, you know as well as I do that this isn’t going to happen.” She led you not to Billy’s now infinitely more empty table, but over to Carol and Tina and Vicki Matthews, who all seemed deep in plans.

“I’m not gonna make you sit with sad sack Hargrove, relax, I’m gonna let you in on the biggest secret of the year.” She said, forcing you onto the bench seat next to Tina as she squeezed in next to Vicki. “Even Jodie doesn’t know about this.” She said, as if to prove how secret this was.

Carol slid a sheet of portrait sized paper over to you, written on in purple and pink pen, bubble letters framing the title ‘Vicki’s super secret birthday bash’. Underneath was a rough map of Vicki’s house and the address.

“Intriguing, so what makes me so special that I get to know about this?” you asked, reading over the poorly drawn map, noting the exits and closed off rooms.

“We aren’t smart.” Vicki said simply, earning several slaps and hushes from her friends, silencing her.

“What Vicki means to say is that we need help planning this thing, we aren’t exactly planners.” Carol said, tapping the map.

“All we need is a swift backup plan, in case what happens at Val’s thing happens here.” Tina added with a shrug.

“So…you want to know how to not get the police called on you?” you asked, squinting at the map.

“No, Val got in so much shit with her parents when they came home, the house was a mess.” Carol replied smoothly.

“Oh, well that’s easy. Hand me a pen.” You said, earning grins from girls as they began their own planning.

By Wednesday morning, you’d sold all of Jonathan’s photos back to their owners for increasingly high rates based on their incriminating nature and by that night everything was set for the perfect party, complete with cleanup plan and a very strong backup plan for if the neighbours called the police on them. On Thursday, the invitations were handed out and Valerie was already trying to get you to come to her place to get ready, promising a ride there if you did. You declined the offer, only because it came with a hinted at addition of Billy. You promised you’d call her if you had any problems with getting ready, which she laughed off, declaring that if you could pull off your perm every day, you could handle dressing for a party. You didn’t tell her that you might not come at all.

Finding Jonathan nowadays was easy, generally he was seeking you out too. On Friday afternoon, with a flyer in hand, you waited for him in backstage as Kristy Swanson stumbled through her fifth attempt at Juliet’s balcony monologue. When he finally did arrive, he looked nervous, more so than usual.

“Hey…you whispered, pulling him into the darkest corner you could find, nodding to your stage manager, Robin, to turn a blind eye to the whole situation.

“Hey.” He returned, his lips connecting with the curve of your neck, pressing feather light kisses up your neck and over your jaw with the focus and determination of someone trying to become chess champion of the world.

“You coming to Vicki’s thing tonight?” you asked, your hands wrapping around him as you dragged your nails over his spine, making him either shiver or cringe.

“Haven’t decided yet…” he muttered into your hair, pushing your hips into his.

“You should, it’ll be fun.” You replied.

“Will Nance be there?” he asked, pulling away to look at you.

You shrugged “Maybe, I haven’t seen her much anymore. Not since the whole fallout with Steve again.” You replied.

Jonathan hummed. You both knew that Nancy got rejected by Steve for Vicki Matthews, a very embarrassing moment for all involved. You hadn’t discussed this with Nancy, nor with Jonathan as you didn’t know if it would be a good plan.

“I’ll be there.” He said and you rushed to hand him the flyer as your director finally called Kristy to stop and sent her offstage in a huff, which you’d need to protect her royal blue velour dress from, already having to sacrifice the headpiece to her wrath, watching her toss it to the ground.

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you there, okay?” you said, pressing a kiss to his stubbly cheek and rushing off to follow behind Kristy, snatching her hat off the floor and nodding to Robin to warn the other stage managers of her. You didn’t have the immediate luxury of waiting for his response, if she ruined that dress then your school would owe Haven Point’s professional theatre about eight hundred dollars in damages, money you knew the drama club didn’t have.

You ended up getting to leave rehearsal at eight thirty, due to Kristy’s lack of memorization skills and temper tantrums. You managed to fix your hair in between scenes, thank god for the endless supply of hairspray in the makeup crew’s supply. Climbing into your car in the dark, you wished you lived closer to everything. You rushed home as fast as you could.

Getting ready was a hassle now that Valerie had a standard for you to hit. You threw on bright magenta dress you’d picked for its ruffled skirt and long sleeves, the only reason Valerie had even agreed to get it was the low back and the length of the skirt on you. You added to your makeup, choosing silver eye shadow and a moody purple lip. You rushed out the door before your father could stop you waving goodbye and climbing into your car, speeding to Vicki’s comfortable home, a safe distance between yours and Valerie’s.

The party was just starting to get interesting when you arrived, it had already been on for an hour, everyone who was there was drunk or getting there. The well plotted living room was crammed with drunken kids. The whole thing looked lively. You hadn’t seen Valerie or Billy yet, but that seemed like a good thing. Stacy and Freddie were having a heated conversation in a corner, seemingly both unhappy and horny. Vicki and Steve were dancing in the middle of the room, so sickeningly happy looking at them made you feel like you were getting a cavity. You were happy for both of them, Steve finally looked happy since his breakup with Nancy and word on the street said that he chose Vicki over her when given his second chance, a rare sign of growth for such a vapid boy. You were very happy with the idea of people watching for the whole night, you almost wish you had a camera to document the whole thing in all its debaucherous glory.

You hardly gotten one drink in you before Tina and Macy had grabbed onto you, pulling you into the living room again, crying over the thumping music “That hoe! Look at her!”

There stood Nancy and Jonathan in the middle of the room, kissing like actors did in the movies, slowly and softly with a sort of languid, gentle passion that burned like a warm fireplace on cold winter’s night.

Macy shoved a shot into your hand, turning to you with glazed over eyes and a face that looked to be sympathetic. “Fuck him, he’s a dickhead and she’s a whore, you can do so much better, my boyfriend has a single older brother I can tooootally set you up with-” she rambled and you nodded, taking the shot in a single gulp, your head snapping to follow the sound of screams of both terror and excitement. You found yourself pushing your way into the crowd and once close enough you saw two worrying things.

One, Billy was beyond pissed and stalking off towards to nearest exit.

And two, Valerie was sucking that tiny sophomore’s dick in the middle of Vicki’s party.

You had to go. You had to check on Billy. You rushed to follow him out.

He wasn’t quick on his feet, in fact he was insanely slow and off balance. He was definitely drunker than he’d like to admit and you were more than in the right to take away his keys. You wished that Tina hadn’t laughed of your idea of having a sober key master of sorts to collect keys and not relinquish them to those too drunk to drive. Now you had to save his drunk ass.

“Y/N wait!” a voice called out behind you. For a second, you almost thought it was Valerie, trying to stop you or him or maybe both. But you knew the voice well enough to know that this was only going to end up being a distraction.

Nancy and Jonathan were chasing after you, both wearing anxious, guilty expressions. You stopped for them, waiting to hear whatever they had to say so you could get out.

“Y/N I am so sorry I didn’t mean to steal him away again and-” Nancy started, only to be immediately be cut off by Jonathan.

“And I’m sorry if I led you on I didn’t mean to I just-”

“I just really like Jonathan and-” Nancy started

“I just really like Nance.” and Jonathan finished. If it wasn’t so sickeningly sweet you’d think it was planned.

You looked from the pair of them and back to Billy, who was still humbling between the half finished beer in one hand and his keys in the pocket of his tight jeans. You grabbed them each by the hands, leaning in to smile at them.

“Look, I’m not upset, I knew you were into each other. Be happy, be together, you have my blessing or whatever. Mazel tov!” you said, letting them go and rushing off.

“But…” Nancy called, bewildered and very clearly uncomfortable.

“Mazel tov!” you waved, rushing to Billy. You got there just as he got the keys out of his pocket and you snatched them away.

“What the fuck…” Billy growled, dropping his drink to the ground and reaching out for his keys.

“Ah ah.” You said, pulling them quickly out of his reach “You’re not driving anywhere, not this drunk.”

“Y/N, back down.” He warned, his glare loose and sloppy instead of tough and hard as it usually was.

“Now, if you want to leave, I’m driving you. You can stay, if you want, but you’re not getting these back.” You jingled the keys in his face for emphasis before pocketing them.

“You’re not driving my car…” he muttered to the grass.

“Alright, then we can take mine, but I wouldn’t leave my car here if I was you. You know how bad Tommy wants to screw someone in the back of a sports car.” You reminded him, nodding towards his royal blue baby with its driver’s side window permanently rolled down.

Billy groaned, nodding softly “You’re right…” he admitted, heading towards the passenger side door. “If you get one scratch on Sheila I’m killing you.” He warned.

“You named your car Sheila?” You giggled, watching as he turned red; no sober man would ever admit their car’s name that loudly and you both knew it. Billy didn’t respond, only adding to the humour in the whole situation. You chose not to press him on the subject, climbing into the driver’s seat.

You’d only driven stick shift once, when your father had to physically hold your mother in the backseat when she’d tried to hurt herself again. That was over a year ago and you felt shaky on the controls, but now you’d made your bed so you had to lie in it. You turned on the ignition and put the car in gear, reversing out of Vicki’s street, shifting gears and pushing forward, trying your damndest to not grind the clutch into dust. Billy’s head had lulled against the seat, his eyes shut tightly into a permanent grimace.

“You know…” you tried “I’m really proud of you tonight, you didn’t even leave a mark on that kid, and I know you really wanted to.”

“Val wouldn’t like it…” Billy muttered, not bothering to try to hide his disdain.

“Yeah well I think Val got enough of what she wanted tonight.” You replied, turning off of Vicki’s street and down one of the main roads.

“She was just drunk…” Billy said, his grimace turning into a scowl and his head unconsciously turned to you, his eyes still shut tight.

You knit your brow “You don’t need to defend her, Bee.” You said, watching him from the rear view mirror.

“Yes I do…” he replied gruffly.

“No you don’t, Bill,” you sighed “She cheated on you, she did you wrong, you don’t have to defend her.”

“Yes I do.” He pressed, nearly growling.

“Why?” you demanded.

“Because I love her!” he cried, his eyes snapping open, wide and red. Only now it was obvious to you that he wasn’t angry, he was as close to heartbreak as he’d ever been in his whole life. “I love her and she loves me and I know that we’re gonna be fine.” He breathed, nodding as though you had said it.

And in that moment, you had two options, both of which would break his heart. You could tell him what you saw or what you felt he could understand. You chose the latter.

“You don’t love her.” You replied, keeping your eyes on the road. You couldn’t bear to look at his face. You knew that what you’d just said would hurt him, but it had to be said.

“Yes I do.” Billy said and without even looking at him, you knew he’d crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw clenched tight and teeth grinding.

“No, you don’t Bill.” You pressed, your voice softer and kinder than before.

“How the fuck do you know how I feel?” he snapped.

“If you loved her, you’d be there, handling this. You would’ve knocked out that stupid sophomore and dealt with the aftermath. You wouldn’t be sitting here with me.” You explained.

“You forced yourself into this! I wanted to go home, take a breather, and handle this later.” He cried “And since when do you know anything about being in love anyway?”

You huffed “I know about love.”

Billy rolled his eyes “Oh yeah sure, sure you know all about it. With your stories and your books and the creepy way you watch people! Newsflash, sweetheart, that isn’t understanding love, that’s being a pathetic creep and-” he was ranting, well more rambling drunkenly at you. But it still stung, like salt rubbed into an open wound.

You felt tears begin to well in your eyes and, if only to get him to shut up, if only to keep yourself from crying. “I’m in love with you, you absolute asshole! You stupid, short sighted, senseless, careless, awful man! I love you. So you don’t get to say shit.” You cried, pumping the brakes roughly and turning off the engine.

Billy laughed. No, laughed wasn’t the right word, he guffawed. He laughed like you were the funniest person on earth; it came deep from his stomach and echoed throughout the cramped space. You thought he couldn’t hurt you anymore more than he had thus far, you’d sworn he’d already torn your heart from your chest and stomped on it. But this was the final blow, the knockout punch to any of the belief he could ever reciprocate your feelings and the last shreds of your already torn apart confidence. You had been the most vulnerable you could be with him and he laughed. Hot tears began to slip down your cheeks and you were quick to brush them away as you pulled the keys from the ignition, pocketing them again.

“I fucking hate you. And now you’re stuck here. Come find your keys when you’re sober and less of an asshole, if you can ever figure that part out.” You snapped with the last of your unshaken breath before you forced the door open and then yourself out into the cold night air.

Billy watched you, gaping like a fish; he hadn’t thought you were serious. He thought this was some stupid joke that was laughable. But as he saw your spirit break and your ego fall away, he was hit all at once in the heart. You loved him and left him stuck far too big in the pit of emotional quicksand you’d left behind. As you marched off into the night, you left him stuck and stewing, a tornado in his mind ripping through his soul.

He was so fucked.

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morningsound15 · 6 years

Text

Stacie x Beca + “things you said under the stars and in the grass”

got this prompt in a direct message! hope you enjoy @bechloetitanium

It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark. The glow from her uncle’s farmhouse is casting weird, distorted shadows for twenty feet in every direction, stretching all the way around the house and into the surrounding yard. Not that the light helps her see very far – his property is huge, and his land extends much farther than the glow from the house’s windows can reach. There’s a pool some fifty feet to the left, the tip of the inlet where the house has been built can be found maybe 70 yards ahead, and there’s a dock with a sailboat tied to one of the pylons, tapping lightly against the wood of the dock with each swell of the water, that’s just outside the light’s perimeter. There are crop fields around the front of the house, wheat and soy and corn, and a gravel driveway that stretches out a full mile before it hits the tiny side road that leads down to this part of the Bay. The only sounds that aren’t emanating from the house behind her are the crickets, which are releasing a low hum that dips and swells with the wind, a wall of buzzing that serves to both annoy and relax in equal measure.

She sees a shadow towards the left, at the farthest edge of the light, something large and dark that seems to be holding itself very still. Beca picks her way across the grass slowly, allowing her steps to fall steadily so as not to surprise the figure in front of her. The last thing she wants to do is sneak up on her unexpectedly.

“There you are.”

Stacie, where she lays on the ground, doesn’t turn her head. “I’m sorry,” she says right away, not taking her eyes off the constellations above her. “I didn’t mean to abandon you. I just had to get out of there.”

Beca is silent as she sits down next to her. She crosses her legs, and her splayed knee presses against Stacie’s shoulder. The grass is cool beneath them, a little damp on their skin. The night is relatively cool as well, unusual for this part of Maryland this late in the summer, but that’s probably down to their close proximity to the water. Stacie’s knees dangle off the pool deck, her legs submerged in the water up to her shins. The lights inside the pool are on, casting a faint, eerie, golden-blueish-green gleam over everything in the vicinity. Stacie’s skin glows with it.

“I’m sorry,” Beca says. Apparently it’s her turn to apologize, now.

“It’s okay, Becs,” Stacie assures. “Really. I’m fine, it was just… starting to get kind of intense.”

“When I told them I was bringing my girlfriend as my plus one they said they were fine with it. Really, they promised to be chill. Even my aunt Barb, and she’s notoriously the craziest one in the family.” Beca shakes her head, her chin hanging low to her chest. “God, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe they—”

But Stacie just shrugs it off. “Trust me, Beca: I’ve heard worse.”

Beca sighs again. She shifts on the ground, lowers her body so she’s laying perpendicular to Stacie. She rests her had against Stacie’s shoulder and joins her in looking up at the night sky. “We don’t have to stay,” Beca says quietly. “We can leave whenever we want. I don’t even like my cousins that much, and Ryan in particular sucks. Skipping his wedding is—”

But Stacie shakes her head. “They’re your family. And we’re only here for another two days.” Stacie turns her head and smiles down at Beca, her chin brushing the crown of Beca’s head. Beca twists her own neck so that they can make eye contact. Stacie’s eyes seem to shine under the light of the moon (or maybe thanks to the light emanating from the pool. Beca is enraptured either way).

“I’m sorry,” Beca says, because she feels the need to say it again. This really hadn’t gone the way she’d planned. She figured her family would be a little weird about meeting Stacie for the first time — despite the fact that they’ve been together more than two years, Beca has been reluctant to introduce her to the wider Holloway clan (Beca’s extended family on her mom’s side). Who knew her weirdly-estranged cousins who live in the boondocks of the Eastern Shore of Maryland would be pretty openly homophobic?

Well, Beca definitely knew. And she probably could have guessed this would be their reaction. Still, they didn’t have to bring Stacie’s personal life into it. Beca would have been fine politely ignoring all the sly, subtle digs about her ‘alternative lifestyle’ and ‘rebellious phase’ that her overly-involved relatives seem determined to get in before the rehearsal dinner has ended. But dragging Stacie into their weird issues was entirely uncalled for.

“You’ve already apologized,” Stacie reminds her, which doesn’t exactly make the sick feeling in Beca’s gut go away, but it does make her believe that Stacie isn’t about to break up with her over this.

Still.

“Still,” she says, turning her attention skyward again. “I know my family can be kind of crazy. My mom… she can be pretty out of it. And my brother is such an ass—”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing.” Stacie drops her hand to rest on Beca’s shoulder, and she squeezes tightly. “I understand; family sucks.”

“I never wanted them to make you uncomfortable.”

“Eh,” Stacie sounds a little unconvinced, “I don’t know if I was really uncomfortable. I just… that kind of stuff doesn’t really bother me, y’know? People have been making snide comments about me since middle school. Your grandma insinuating I’m a slut who’s only using you for your money — hilarious, by the way, you’re poorer than me right now — doesn’t exactly wound my ego.”

“It isn’t fair. She doesn’t even know you.”

“Everyone’s got weird conservative relatives,” Stacie says, unbothered. “Homophobic grandparents are kind of a norm, y’know. You’ve met my granddad.”

“Yeah, he called me your ‘queer roommate’ for all of Thanksgiving dinner.”

Stacie laughs. “Isn’t this better than that?”

Beca reaches up and takes Stacie’s hand. She threads their fingers together, her thumb brushing lightly against the palm of Stacie’s hand, tickling the smooth, soft skin there. “Not if it makes you uncomfortable,” she says quietly, seriously. And she means it. She’d go through a thousand weird Thanksgiving dinners with Stacie as long as it stopped her from getting insulted by Beca’s unfortunate extended family.

Stacie shakes her head. “I’m not uncomfortable. I promise. It doesn’t faze me anymore. I’m hot, I like my body, and I like having sex. Yeah, your brother’s an ass, and yeah, your cousin’s family is a little rude, but it’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

Beca quirks her head up. She ends up looking mostly at Stacie’s chin, and her cheek. Stacie’s eyes are a bright point in the otherwise dark surroundings. “So then why’d you leave?”

She gets a shrug in response. “Family stuff weirds me out. My family doesn’t really… talk to each other. Seeing other families fight has always made me feel weird. Plus, y’know… tensions are high. What with the wedding tomorrow.” She shrugs again. “I would just rather ignore the messiness inside and sit out here instead.”

“And look at the stars?”

“Yeah. I like the stars.”

Beca turns her attention skyward again. After a few moments, she hums. “It is pretty peaceful.”

“No fights, no drunk uncles, no smells of burning appetizers.”

Beca has to laugh at that. “God, Barb really can’t cook for shit.”

“I also have an aunt who thinks she can cook but definitely can’t, so I feel your pain.” Stacie turns her head and presses a light kiss to Beca’s temple. “We’re definitely going smaller for our wedding, though.”

“Oh yeah?” Beca teases. “We’re getting married, now?”

“Oh please.” Beca can’t see it, but she can just picture Stacie rolling her eyes. “I’m not the one who insisted on leaving our engagement rings at home in case my crazy cousin Janine ‘gets super jealous and tries to cut our hair off in our sleep.’”

“Hey, that’s happened in this family before before, and Freddie’s engagement broke up the next week. So really I’m protecting us, babe.”

“Oh sure, make it seem like it’s about my safety.”

Beca flexes her fingers a little. She pulls their hands apart slightly, far enough so she can press their fingertips together. She opens and closes her hand, stretching their fingers but always making sure to keep all five touching, always connected, before she slips them together again, running her thumb over Stacie’s knuckles. “Does that bother you? That I… didn’t want to tell people, yet?”

“No,” Stacie says, and she sounds truthful. At least to Beca’s ears. “I like keeping it to ourselves; at least for now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. I like that we still have some time to enjoy it. As soon as we tell your mom she’s gonna start planning the wedding like we’re getting married that week.”

“And you know Chloe’s gonna freak we didn’t tell her first thing.”

“Oh, obviously.” Beca can hear the smile in Stacie’s voice. “Are you sure you’re alright with having a wife who’s so much taller than you, though?”

“I think so,” Beca says, playing along. “I mean, basketball players’ wives deal with it fine I think.” Stacie reaches over and swats her on the shoulder. Beca laughs, and continues: “And you might not be as rich, but you’re much hotter than LeBron James, so I’m sure I won’t suffer too much.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Speaking of asses, you know if things don’t work out with us you could always go date my brother.”

“Beca—”

“What?” She asks innocently. “He’s been staring at your ass all night.”

Stacie rolls her eyes as she flips over. She shifts just enough so that her torso hovers above Beca’s, her hips pressing Beca’s into the grass. She quirks an eyebrow down at her as Beca tries to look innocent. “You’re really jealous about that? I told you he’s an ass.”

“I’m not jealous,” Beca says, with an impossibly serious face. “I just want what’s best for you, baby. He’s closer to your height, and looks a lot like me, too. Some might even call him an upgrade.”

Stacie leans down and presses a deep, nearly bruising kiss to Beca’s lips. It quite effectively shuts her up.

There are no sounds around them except the summer air, the rustling of the breeze off the Bay filtering through the thickly-leaved trees, the sound of chlorinated water lapping against the sides of the pool. When Stacie pulls away a moment later her hands come up to Beca’s temples, tenderly pushing her hair back. Her fingernails scratch lightly at Beca’s scalp, and Beca closers her eyes and leans into the sensation.

“I’m crazy about you,” Stacie murmurs.

Beca smiles lazily, suddenly more than a little sleepy. “Oh, good. I was worried we were in trouble.”

“I really don’t like your family, though. Is that a deal breaker?”

Beca opens her eyes and grins. “Nah, just something else we have in common.”

Stacie glances towards the main house. Beca can hear voices rising, slowly seeping out of the kitchen. Something crashes — a pan falling to the ground? — and Beca can hear the faint sounds of her uncle’s irate and drunken cursing over the ensuing din. A dog barks, somewhere upstairs, and Beca can already feel a headache coming on.

Stacie pulls a face. “Think we should go back in and make sure everyone’s alright?”

Beca laces her fingers together over Stacie’s shoulders, cupping the back of her neck. She pulls her slightly down, forcing Stacie’s attention back to her. “I think we can wait a little longer, don’t you?”

Stacie’s eyes flit down to Beca’s mouth. She bites her lower lip, clearly torn. “Maybe you’re right,” she says slowly. “I mean, we don’t want there to be too many cooks in the kitchen. We’ll just contribute to the confusion”

“Freddie and Janine are set to blow up at each other any minute now.”

“And the stars are lovely tonight…”

They grin at each other, and Stacie dips her head again, claiming Beca’s lips softly with her own. The sounds from inside the house fall away, and for a few minutes they can pretend that they’re the only two people on earth, wrapped up in each other so closely that nothing else matters.

#stacie x beca #steca #i know their ship name now!#Pitch Perfect #pitch perfect fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #bechloetitanium #prompts #prompt fill #long post #mine

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tiny-maus-boots · 5 years

Text

Queen of Hearts pt 4

A/N: sorry it took so long. pneumonia is a bitch. i’m better now.

A/N 2: thank you to my beta and bestie for doing the thing and posting for me. ilyan @chloes-yellow-cup

04. Playing Loose

Six minutes wasn’t a whole lot of time to get dressed let alone anything else no matter how her body throbbed uncomfortably. Aubrey buttoned a fresh pale lavender shirt and tucked it into her slacks with crisp movements. She couldn’t help the way her gaze kept drifting to Stacie even though she had pressing concerns she needed to be focusing on. Aubrey opted to forgo the vest and tie and shrugged on a navy blue jacket so dark it almost looked black. She could have gone for casual being that she was in her own home but her suits were her uniform and her armor. Aubrey was a different woman under the mantle of expensive Italian tailoring and she needed to be that person when facing federal agents.

“Is Beca going to get in trouble?” Aubrey blinked and raised a questioning gaze at Stacie. “Because right now it looks like she tipped you off about the federal agents coming here.”

The question pulled her attention away from the length of Stacie’s long toned leg and she sighed as she slipped into a pair of wingtip heels. “It doesn’t look great, no. Knowing Mitchell the way I do I would guess she has an answer for any question that comes up, though.”

Stacie pulled on a warm cashmere sweater over her leggings before frowning at Aubrey. “How do you know that?”

“Because she always does. That kid could lie her way out of the devil’s basement.” She had never met anyone that could be bullshit the way Beca Mitchell could. It made her dangerous to bet against and more often than not Aubrey would fold rather than call the detective’s bluff. She reached out and took Stacie’s hand as they wandered from the closet to bedroom and out into the hall. “Listen, Stace. I don’t want you to worry. They’re gonna ask me some questions, go through my things maybe, and leave. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. Just be ready to call my lawyer for me just in case.”

They were halfway down the stairs when the knock on the front door came. It was forceful and demanding in the way all cops knocked. Detective Mitchell pushed off from the wall she was leaning against. Their eyes met and Aubrey gave the other woman a brief nod before closing the distance to the door and pulling it open. She had been prepared for feds, had even been prepared for a lot of them, but she hadn’t been prepared for this particular federal agent standing on her front step.

The pinched faced brunette in an off the rack and ill-fitting women’s pant suit and matronly black pumps gave her a smugly superior look at the surprised look on her face. They stared at each other for a long moment before the politely smiling man at her side cleared his throat. Aubrey took in everything about him, from the boyishly innocent smile to the slight apologetic roll of his shoulders. The air of innocence was such a strong contrast to the woman’s pugnacious energy that it threw Aubrey off balance for a moment.

The blonde recovered quickly and let the familiar cool mask of her poker face slide into place. ”More uninvited guests, must be my lucky night.”

The other woman’s face twisted and she pushed past Aubrey into the house with an air of aggressive authority. She stepped back gestured inside as if she’d actually invited the agents in instead of letting them force their way in. Both agents stopped short when they caught sight of Detective Mitchell, each of them raising suspicious brows at her presence.

“Detective Mitchell, I wish I could say I’m surprised to see you here. Let me guess, you were just in the neighborhood? Thought you’d give your pal Posen the heads up about the agents headed her way?”

Beca rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. Every small gesture was laced with barely contained irritation and utter disdain. “Actually I was conducting an interview for my murder investigation. Which you are now impeding and obstructing.”

“Right, because your little case outweighs federal jurisdiction?”

“Yeah I dunno that I’d call MURDER a little case but okay. Go off then.”

It was just enough of a clue for Aubrey to go on and she shut the door firmly to get everyone’s attention. “Does someone want to tell me why a homicide detective and two federal agents are having a pissing contest in my foyer?”

“We’re sorry. Uh we, I uh apologize Miss Posen. I’m Agent Applebaum and this is Agent…”

“Alice Esposito. I know who she is. We go way back, you and me, don’t we Ali-cat?”

“Agent Esposito.”

Aubrey smirked at getting a rise out of the other woman but gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Okay Agent, what the hell do you want from me?”

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions, but we can make this a more formal interview downtown if you like.”

Aubrey didn’t like the glimmer of glee in Alice’s eyes. It was the idea of marching the blonde into the station after all these years that had her riding in on her high horse and it made Aubrey want to knock her down a peg or two. “Sure we can go downtown. If you have a warrant.” The corner of her mouth pulled slightly in a mocking smirk. “Do you have a warrant for my arrest? You know those are tricky things to get. Being that they require proof of wrongdoing so you don’t finger the wrong man. So to speak.”

Agent Esposito’s eyes narrowed and it only made Aubrey’s smirk grow. Truthfully she was hoping that Alice would lose her temper and say or do something she would regret in front of so many witnesses but the other woman seemed to sense her endgame and clenched her jaw tight to keep from saying anything else. The other agent gave a brief smile but it wavered with uncertainty under the weight of the tension between his partner and her.

“There’s no need for lawyers, we’re here to talk nothing more.” His tone was soft, conciliatory even but there was something under the words that made her re-evaluate him. Yes he was green and inexperienced, yes he seemed surprisingly honest despite the viper pit he worked in, and yes he even seemed to be as boyishly innocent as he looked. But there was something there, something more. She made a mental note to have Happy look into him in the morning before giving him a slight jerk of her head.

“Fine, let’s make this quick. I have plans.”

Aubrey turned slightly and caught sight of Stacie eyeing her curiously, her fiancée’s gaze drifting over to Alice with an unreadable expression. There was a flash of something possessive in Stacie’s eyes before she smiled graciously and stepped forward to slip her arm into Aubrey’s. “Why don’t we all have a seat in the living room?” It might have been phrased as a question with perfect and polite intonation but it definitely was a command and Aubrey felt like the fly in the spider’s parlor as she followed at Stacie’s side to lead the agents and Detective Mitchell further into the house.

Beca had remained quiet so far but Aubrey didn’t trust it. Just like she didn’t trust the amused grin plastered on the smaller woman’s face as she plopped herself down on the couch and gazed back and forth between Alice and Aubrey. It was clear she was content watching the show and for a second Aubrey kind of hated her for it.

Alice perched on the very edge of the sofa as if allowing herself the luxury of sitting fully on it was somehow too much association with Aubrey. The offense at the disrespect it showed warred with the amusement of watching Alice trying to maintain her composure. Her attention was pulled away from Agent Esposito when Stacie’s warm weight settled in at her side, leaning into her body casually.

Aubrey turned her head slightly to watch Stacie cross one leg over the other gracefully before taking her hand. She had never been one for physical demonstrations of affection outside the bedroom, though in all fairness it was probably because she had never really been in love before. Now however, it came so easily she didn’t realize she was doing it.

Agent Applebaum pulled out a notebook and a pen and glanced to Beca. “Detective, you were here when we arrived, would you like to interview Miss Posen first?”

Beca shook her head with a barely contained snort of amusement and leaned further back on the couch, reclining with her hands behind her head. “Nah I’m good.”

He blinked at her for a moment then nodded and glanced to his partner. Alice had her eyes pinned to Stacie and Aubrey linked hands, her focus unnerving in its intensity. “Right. I’ll just…start.” He was uncomfortable but soldiered on bravely. “Miss Posen, do you own a small yacht?”

She had expected a soft question to warm up but he went right for the meat of the visit and it took her a second to consider her answer. “I do.” It wasn’t something she could hide, the yacht was registered in her name and she paid the dock fees from her personal bank account. It wasn’t a secret so she didn’t see the harm in answering in the affirmative. “Why?”

“We have reason to believe it may have been used in the commission of a crime.” Alice pinned Aubrey with a stare and raised her brow. Her tone clipped and a hair too loud where Applebaum’s had been easy and quiet. “When was the last time you took her out?”

Stacie shifted slightly in her spot, more of her body leaning into Aubrey. The blonde gave them a challenging stare. “Last weekend. Is that suddenly against the law?”

It wasn’t the answer they were looking for and her ricocheted question put them on the defensive but Alice pressed on. “How about a few months ago? Say maybe…8 or 9 months. You take your boat out then?”

Aubrey gave a scoffing laugh and shook her head. “Maybe but unless you’re asking something real specific…I just can’t bring anything to mind. Sorry.”

The agents looked at each other, silently communicating their next step before they turned back to her. Alice couldn’t quite keep the sneer off her face when she spoke. “How about the morning of May 17th? You remember taking your boat out then?”

She didn’t give either of them the satisfaction of flinching but her stomach sank. They were nosing around a case that was supposed to be closed already. Beca stirred on the couch and sat up with an interested cant to her head as she eyed the federal agents. Stacie’s fingers flexed in hers.

“I tell you what Posen, you don’t have to think too hard on it. I have an eye witness that can place you and your boat at the scene that day.”

The scene. Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the phrasing of the statement. She hadn’t said ‘at the marina’ or ‘on your boat’. She had said ‘at the scene’. There was only one person that could place her at the scene of anything. Except he was supposed to be dead.

Stacie sat up straighter and sighed. “This is an interrogation and I’ll tell you what Agent Esposito, if you really want to continue this I suggest you set up an interview with our attorney. In the meantime…get the hell out.”

The corner of her lips quirked when Alice frowned in mild confusion. The other woman’s muddy brown eyes drifted over Stacie, taking her in with a critical glance. But her assessment stopped at the glinting diamond on the taller woman’s finger. Several emotions twitched over the agent’s face but she gathered her composure and stood when her partner did.

Detective Mitchell didn’t have to be told to leave, it wouldn’t look good if she stayed. Almost as if she read Aubrey’s mind the homicide detective looked over her shoulder as she retrieved her motorcycle helmet from the front hall.

“This isn’t over Posen, I’ll be back and next time I’ll be picking this place through. Hear me?”

“Don’t make me have to put a restraining order on you, Mitchell.”

Applebaum and Esposito turned to see Beca whirl, her back to them as she stalked forward dangerously. The menace of the moment was ruined by the barely contained laugh on the cop’s face. Aubrey had to hand it to her, Beca’s tone didn’t belie the humor in her expression.

“Let me make this real clear Posen, nothing, not one goddamned thing, is going to stop me from continuing my investigation. I don’t let anyone bully me and I’m not scared of you.”

The Detective turned on a heel and stomped out the front door, brushing past the two agents watching them. It had all been for show, a misdirection to keep the feds guessing. But it rang true and Aubrey wondered if it was because nothing Beca had said had actually been a lie. It was a skilled bluff and she admired the play and the way it was delivered. She really had to give that kid a raise.

Aubrey leaned against the edge of the open door, one hand in the pocket of her slacks, everything about her posture indicating that she wasn’t threatened in the slightest. “See ya around Alicat.” A tremor of repressed rage ran through the short woman and she turned to toss Aubrey an ugly glare before she yanked open the door to a black SUV and shoved herself inside of it.

She gave a snort of amusement and pulled back to shut the door. Aubrey threw the lock and set the alarm quickly, sealing them off from the rest of the world. When she turned around Stacie was standing by table in the center of the large foyer, her expression unreadable. Something felt wrong and she raised her brow in question.

“What?”

“You want to tell me what that was all about?”

Oh. The blonde hung her head and let out a breath. It wasn’t going to be an easy conversation and she wondered how Stacie would look at her after she explained herself. It had been a long time ago but she didn’t feel badly about any of it.

“I knew her from before. We went to the same Catholic school back East. We were friends until I moved to California when I was fourteen. Figured I’d never see her again and honestly I hadn’t thought much about her. Then awhile back, when I was starting to make a name for myself, she walks back into my life. Right into the Dirty Bird.”

It had been clumsy and heavy handed. They should have drawn it out, had them bump into each other casually in a neutral location. They should have made it look like a chance meeting rather than a blunt attempt to force a reunion. It had made Aubrey suspicious immediately but she played the game as expected. Reminiscing and flirting the night away as if she had actually took Alice at face value.

“I had some of my people look into her, her jacket came back exactly what she’d told me. Petty theft, ran with a rough crowd, couple of arrests for prostitution. It was too manufactured, didn’t feel right. So I tapped a different network to get more information.”

Stacie crossed her arms and raised both brows, voice hushed. “The mob?”

“Nah, the vecchie signore at Saint Sebastian’s. Those old birds know everything and all it cost me was a box of cannoli and an afternoon dodging blind dates with grandsons and great nephews.”

She could tell the answer amused Stacie but the other woman wasn’t quite ready to let go of her anger just yet. Her arms did uncross and the frown smoothed out from her brow. “So? What’d you find out?” Stacie was curious as much about Alice as the agent was likely to be about her. “We’re going to come back to this afternoon of old lady gossip later by the way.”

“I found out she was a fed working white collar. I figured she was on to me for laundering, I was getting a little too loose with my game. But I knew what she wanted and I knew if I didn’t give her something I wasn’t going to have time to extricate myself from everything. So I pursued her. Aggressively. We dated and I let her hear just enough to make her think I trusted her.”

“You fucked her.”

She had hoped that she could gloss right past that point but it was clear Stacie wasn’t going to let that happen. Aubrey hadn’t been proud of herself, it wasn’t some fucking game. It was survival. She had done it because it was necessary.

“Look, it was business. It had to look real, Stacie.”

“Her? Really?? What else did you do Aubrey? Might as well get it all out now.”

Whatever goodwill she had bought herself earlier vanished as Stacie bristled with jealousy. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly trying to remain calm. Stacie had questions and Aubrey wanted to be honest with her because she trusted her and didn’t want to start a life together built on lies.

“I fed her misinformation, implicated a well-known councilman that had absolutely nothing to do with the business. I dropped hints and fed her lies for months.”

“Months? You were fucking her for months?” Stacie gave a short unhappy chuckle. “How long were you together?”

“About a year. It took them a long time to build a case and Alice was starting to chomp at the bit. This was gonna make her career if she pulled me and my entire network down. She got too eager and managed to get a warrant for the councilman. It was…highly publicized.”

“But she had the wrong guy.”

Aubrey nodded and shrugged. “By the time she recovered from that misstep I had shut the operation down. I walked away clean and she had nothing. I fucked her career and now she’s trying to get back at me.”

“Jesus Aubrey.” Stacie threw her hands up and paced away from the table. “A fucking year. Did you have feelings for her?”

The idea of it was so foreign that Aubrey could only shake her head for a second. “No!”

“Really? Because I’m not so sure “Ali-cat” got the fucking memo. Seriously? Fingering the wrong man? What the fuck Aubrey?”

Okay. She had to admit that maybe she shouldn’t have poked the bear in front of Stacie. But Aubrey honestly wasn’t flirting. Maybe digging the knife in would be a better way to describe it.

“Stace I swear…I was just fucking with her. I wanted to get under her skin.”

The tall brunette pulled her forward by the lapels of her jacket until they were nose to nose, anger sparking in the depths of her green eyes. “That better be the only thing you want to get under. If you’re with me, you’re with only me.”

Stacie pushed her away and took a step back but Aubrey reached out and grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. “I could be in a room full of people but all I see is you. You got me Stace and I got you.” Aubrey brought their lips together in a searing kiss. There was only one person for her and that was Stacie, she couldn’t give a fuck about Alice Esposito and never really had. “Whatever that was before…it’s done.”

“It better be.” She was pushing Aubrey on purpose to get a reaction out of her. She wanted to be sure she had the blonde’s full attention. “I’m not fucking around.”

Aubrey growled and pressed forward making Stacie back into the table. The vase on top with fresh flowers wobbled slightly at the impact but she didn’t care. Long legs wrapped themselves around her waist as she lifted Stacie onto the table. She swept her arm out to knock the vase out of the way to give them room. It toppled to the floor with a crash but she didn’t care, she’d get another one.

Stacie pushed the jacket off her shoulders and yanked open her shirt to send buttons flying in different directions. Hands already roaming every inch of bare skin they could find. There was a desperate urgency in their kisses, the dull throb of their previous desire roaring to life like a wildfire. She was only too happy to claim and be claimed by Stacie, as many times as it took to hammer the point home. Stacie’s body rolled against hers in a slow undulating wave and she smiled. And she was betting that would be an all night affair.

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backtobasicbellas · 6 years

Text

she’ll never notice how you stop and stare (whenever she walks by)

word count: 3,603

summary: It’s painstakingly obvious almost immediately that Chloe Beale is head over heels for Beca Mitchell. Stacie catches on quickly.

or, Stacie has known since the beginning that Chloe is in love with Beca and watches it all go down

Stacie Conrad is smart.

She’s earned straight As since like, the third grade. Almost all her classes in high school were AP and she beat out her classmates for the valedictorian honor.

So yeah, she’s book smart, even if people don’t think so right away. She’s okay with that - sometimes it gives her an advantage if she’s being honest. There are times where she’s absolutely tired of people assuming she’s just a hot girl with nothing else to offer, but it’s fine. Stacie can handle herself.

And it’s not all that surprising that Stacie was sort of popular in high school. Smart, attractive, and somewhat athletic got her places, sure, but Stacie’s other hidden gem? She’s very good at reading people.

She handles social interactions with ease, a flirtatious smile on her lips and an easy conversation starting on her tongue. She carries herself with confidence in these interactions, knows when people are nervous or when they’re uncomfortable or when they’re just downright sleazy.

(It’s partly the reason Stacie doesn’t let herself do relationships.)

Her transition to college is easy. Plenty of her credits transfer over from APs, putting her in higher level classes right off the bat. She hooks up with someone during orientation weekend - he’s cute and his name is Jacob but Stacie knows they probably won’t cross paths again once classes start - and she auditions for an a capella group.

(So maybe she does it because she sees the captains at the Activities Fair and they’re hot.

Stacie has eyes, okay?)

And Stacie should focus on making friends and singing and doing well in school, but it takes her about two seconds into aca-initiation night to figure it out.

She watches with rapt interest, the way their drunk redhead captain pulls the squirrely, small brunette - who Stacie is now teammates with - into her.

(Stacie doesn’t know much about this tiny brunette besides the fact she wears heavy eyeliner, has a lot of earrings, and doesn’t seem all that excited to be a Bella.

That and she saw Aubrey side eye her earlier in the empty auditorium after the lights turned on, so it’s a safe assumption that this girl is Chloe’s pick.)

She watches as the brunette tenses, but she doesn’t pull away, almost mesmerized by Chloe even in her drunken state. She can practically feel the sexual tension radiating from them yards away, the way Chloe leans in when she speaks and how the brunette gives her a small smile but can’t seem to quite take her eyes off of her.

And Stacie guesses Chloe gets that reaction a lot, but something about this feels different.

Like this isn’t just a flirtatious interaction to be forgotten tomorrow.

“Hey,” Stacie says to Cynthia Rose, who lifts her head up from her drink. She nods her head in Chloe and small girl’s direction and asks, “What do you think their deal is?”

Cynthia Rose follows her line of sight, watching as Chloe does a little dance as she walks away and the brunette tells her to make good choices. “Maybe they’re into each other.”

Stacie hums quietly in agreement.

She’s good a reading people, this she knows.

So she watches.

It’s painstakingly obvious almost immediately that Chloe Beale is head over heels for Beca Mitchell.

Stacie catches on quickly.

Chloe is always spending extra time on Beca, making sure she has choreography just right before moving on. She’s always in Beca’s personal space, trying to help her with the moves or leaning over her shoulder when she’s looking at sheet music, helping her figure out the arrangement.

Beca doesn’t seem to notice the extra effort. She may flush or stutter or mutter about her “personal bubble,” but she doesn’t ever tell Chloe to stop. She doesn’t say much about it at all after a while, simply letting it happen.

(Aubrey notices though, and Stacie can see the way her jaw works and the subtle eye roll when Chloe abandons her task to aid Beca every time.)

Stacie befriends Beca quickly. They live in the same dorm building and often walk to and from rehearsals together. Beca tries to ignore her at first, slipping her headphones on and drowning out the world in music, but Stacie eventually cracks her, gets her to laugh at a comment about Aubrey being a little too uptight and suddenly they’re friends.

And she likes Beca, she really does, but she’s just so fucking oblivious.

When Stacie tries to press her about Chloe, Beca just shrugs and says “I don’t know, she’s weird. It’s like she has no concept of personal space.”

“She’s hot though,” Stacie adds, trying to pry.

Beca only shrugs again, replying to a text on her phone. It takes her a moment and then, “Yeah, I guess.”

Stacie frowns.

She wonders if Beca’s even a little gay, but Stacie decides she is because no one owns that much flannel or wears combat boots like Beca’s that often if they’re straight.

Maybe Beca doesn’t know it yet.

So Stacie sighs and she watches.

She watches the way Chloe begins to show up at their dorm building to hang out with Beca and Stacie doesn’t see her leave until at least a two hours later. She watches the way Chloe smiles when Beca sings, or when she nails a part of their choreography that she was having trouble with.

When they all crowd Beca’s dorm, waiting for her to come home from jail, Stacie watches the way Chloe’s eyes light up with joy and relief at the sight of Beca walking through that door, notices the way she says “Of course we waited up for you” like there was never a doubt about it - though Stacie thinks most of them would’ve preferred just going to bed and receiving a text.

She watches when Chloe tries to stand up for Beca, tries to give her a voice.

She watches the way Beca glances at her then, and maybe, just maybe, Beca isn’t a complete idiot.

(She still is, sadly.)

When Beca storms out after her fight with Aubrey, Stacie has never seen Chloe more distraught.

Aubrey storms off in the other direction and everyone is awkwardly standing there, trying to decide which way to go.

Stacie’s the one who takes two steps towards Chloe, who is almost hyperventilating at this point, and takes both of her hands.

“Chloe take a deep breath,” Stacie says calmly. “Breathe with me.”

Chloe does as she’s told, but her eyes are still watering and Stacie tries not to point it out.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she says, but even Stacie doesn’t believe herself because Aubrey hasn’t come back and Beca is long gone.

Chloe eyes the path Beca took to make her exit.

Stacie sighs and wraps an arm around her shoulder, guiding her back to the dressing room so they can all just go home.

They bond after that.

Stacie guesses it’s because Aubrey is still somewhat mad about the whole incident, mad that Chloe even brought Beca into the Bellas, but Stacie finds that she and Chloe get along really well.

“So,” Stacie says one day. “What’s the deal with you and Beca?”

Chloe blinks, and Stacie knows she’s caught her because the redhead takes a second too long to answer before she asks, “What about Beca?”

Stacie scoffs. “I see the way you are with her. You’re not like that with anyone else.”

“We’re friends.”

“You hang out in her freshman dorm as a senior,” Stacie points out.

Chloe shrugs. “I hang out with friends all the time.”

Stacie tries to push more, but Chloe won’t budge. She lets it go, but she knows she’s been right this whole time by the way Chloe seems a bit panicky at the topic of Beca.

Stacie thinks Beca will finally pull her head out of her ass when she comes back to the Bellas.

Beca spends more time in Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment than she does in her own dorm or with Stacie.

And when she’s not there, Chloe’s often in her room.

Stacie drops by sometimes, sees the way they are with each other. She sees a Beca she doesn’t quite understand, someone who is laughing and smiling and totally relaxed when Chloe throws an arm around her casually or gives her a hug goodbye before she leaves.

She totally thinks it’ll happen any day now, with Chloe on track to graduate and never being one to have regrets.

Except it doesn’t.

It doesn’t because Beca kisses Jesse fucking Swanson - turns out the whole Don’t You Forget About Me bit of their performance was an apology to him, which, gross - and everyone sees it.

Everyone includes Chloe and the crestfallen expression before she’s running off to the bathroom, Stacie and Aubrey quickly following behind.

Aubrey stops Stacie just before they reach the bathroom door.

“I’ve got this,” she says. “Go back to the girls.”

“But Aubrey-” Stacie tries.

“Go,” Aubrey says with a sense of finality on the subject, eyes hard and lips tight in a line.

Stacie sighs, shaking her head. “Fine.”

So Stacie doesn’t know what goes on, what Aubrey says, but Chloe is back minutes later with a bright smile and seemingly okay exterior.

(It’s later than night when they’re wasted out of their minds that Chloe completely falls apart again in the bathroom with Stacie.

Stacie holds her and cleans her face and lets her spill every confession she’s ever had about Beca Mitchell.

Stacie was right.

Chloe Beale is head over heels for Beca Mitchell.

Beca still doesn’t have a clue.)

Chloe doesn’t graduate.

She doesn’t graduate and they get a Bella House and Chloe wants to room with Beca, but Stacie decides they’re going to room together instead.

She tells the girls that she thinks she and Chloe will live well together.

Chloe knows the truth, sends her a silent thank you with her eyes across the group of girls.

The next three years are hard.

It’s hard because Chloe and Beca naturally go together.

Beca no longer acts weird about physical contact - with Chloe, at least; she’s always pushing Stacie off of her no matter what. Chloe holds Beca’s hand and hugs her from behind and forces her into cuddles and does things like runs her fingers up and down Beca’s arm soothingly or rubs her back gently. Beca doesn’t shy away, in fact she leans into it every time, a source of comfort and familiarity.

Stacie watches as Beca and Chloe grow so in sync that they often communicate with their eyes and the quirks of their lips. She watches as Beca grows into her own with the Bellas, stepping up and helping Chloe plan everything from arrangements to fun outings.

She watches the way Beca comes home, tired from her shift at the school’s radio station, and immediately enters Stacie and Chloe’s room, curling into Chloe and watching movies - which Stacie’s pretty sure she hates - with Chloe before they fall asleep.

She notices the way when they watch TV in the living room, Beca sometimes has her head in Chloe’s lap or vice versa, and Beca is always playing with Chloe’s hair in these moments, always gentle and content to be around the redhead.

It’s all mostly hard to watch because Beca is with Jesse for this whole time.

Because despite all the things Stacie notices, Beca has a boyfriend who she loves and spends time with almost as much as she spends time with Chloe.

Stacie notices the way Chloe’s eyes dull at the mention of Jesse, how her shoulders sag when Beca leaves to go hang out with him instead of staying with her.

She notices the way Chloe, a rather fun drunk, stops giggling for a moment when her eyes land on Jesse and Beca all over each other at parties.

Stacie steps up in these moments. She takes Chloe by the hand and forces her to take another shot or dance or watch a movie or go shopping or just anything to get her mind off Beca Mitchell.

Because Stacie knows this, she can see it all over Chloe’s face.

She’s so in love with Beca that it hurts to see her with someone else, someone that Chloe would probably die to be.

“She’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” Chloe tells Stacie one night when they return home from a party.

Stacie hums softly, helping Chloe into bed. “I know, sweetie.”

“I’m so in love with her,” Chloe manages to say in a broken voice. “Why doesn’t she know?”

“Because she’s oblivious,” Stacie sighs.

Chloe’s quiet as Stacie tucks her in then adds, “I wish I was him.”

It breaks Stacie.

She’s good at reading people and Chloe is no exception.

“I know you do,” Stacie murmurs, pressing a soft kiss at Chloe’s hairline. “I wish it was you and not him, too.”

“You’re the best,” Chloe tells her.

Stacie smiles. “Love you, Red.”

Chloe doesn’t cry herself to sleep that night.

Stacie breathes a little easier in those moments.

By senior year, jokes about Chloe and Beca are common.

Beca thinks they’re all crazy.

Chloe laughs it off, but Stacie knows how much the redhead wishes they were true.

Chloe says time and time again that she keeps failing Russian Lit just to be a Bella.

And it’s true, kind of, but everyone else knows that’s not the whole truth.

Everyone but Beca.

And Stacie thinks it’s absolutely insane that it’s been nearly four years and Beca still doesn’t have a clue.

Because it’s come to a point where Chloe and Beca are practically a married couple and Beca somehow is still dating Jesse.

Stacie loves them both, they’re two of her best friends, but she’s tired of seeing Chloe hurt over someone who never puts her first.

The weight of Worlds and Beca being weirdly distant make everything that much worse.

Stacie thinks it starts at the car show, when Beca gets all flustered around that tall blonde German.

(Okay, so the lady’s attractive, but she’s nothing to write home about in Stacie’s opinion.)

The look on Chloe’s face when Beca starts weirdly flirting with the woman is priceless. It’s like she can’t actually believe what’s happening - not that any of the rest of them do either - but true to form, Chloe’s putting on a face and trying to get Beca to stop freaking out.

Stacie hears them that night in the kitchen, arguing about the whole situation.

“You were practically drooling over her!”

“Yeah, well sorry I have eyes!”

“And since when were you even into women?”

“I don’t know! She just - I don’t know! I just word vomit at the sight of her!”

“Well snap out of it. We have a fucking World Championship to win and she’s in the way. We don’t have time for your crush to get in the way!”

“Uh, yeah hello I have a boyfriend.”

“Right. Can’t forget.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“...Nothing, I’m going to bed.”

Stacie quickly runs up the stairs and jumps into bed just before Chloe angrily stomps in.

“Red?” Stacie says slowly, noticing the way Chloe’s still fuming. “What’s wrong?”

Chloe huffs. “Can you believe her? I just - what was that with the german lady today? She just - and she’s never - and I’m - this whole time? God.”

Stacie sighs, immediately going over to sit next to Chloe and wrap her arms around her.

“We both know she’s always been an idiot.”

Chloe makes a noise, but she’s still glaring at nothing in particular.

“Come on Chlo, it’s not personal. She’s weird about things, you know that.”

“I just…” Chloe looks at Stacie, eyes wide and sad. “What if she’s into girls and she’s not into me like that?”

Stacie tries not to sigh at that. She’s good at reading people, and she knows Chloe can’t handle any harsh realities.

“Beca’s a weirdo,” she says instead. “A weirdo who appreciate her wonderful, redhead best friend. I think, on some level, she loves you too.”

And Stacie knows Beca - to some extent- does love Chloe. She sees it in the way Beca will buy a box of tea packets at the grocery store specifically for Chloe. She knows by the way Beca always makes mixes for Chloe, always lets her listen to her mashups first - even before Jesse. Stacie can tell by the way that when it comes to Chloe, she’s always the exception to Beca’s rules.

Everything about Beca when it comes to Chloe screams that she’s in love according to Stacie.

Beca loves Chloe, but Stacie doesn’t think she knows that quite yet.

Chloe sighs, resting her head on Stacie’s shoulder.

They stay there for awhile in silence, neither willing to move.

“I don’t think it’s in the way I do,” Chloe murmurs.

“Oh Chlo…”

It breaks her, seeing Chloe like this.

Chloe is often sad and quiet in their room these days.

Usually there’s music and laughter and talking until they fall asleep, but Chloe’s pulling away.

Stacie watches as Beca continues to leave the house more often than not, missing out on Bella bonding nights and even just her typical Netflix activities with Chloe. She watches as Chloe’s eyes never shine like the used to anymore, how she’s hell bent on winning Worlds and making sure they beat DSM.

She watches them argue, notices how everything seems to be falling apart and all the other girls are walking on eggshells.

She watches it all and it breaks her.

Because Stacie’s good at reading people.

She knows Beca is hiding something and Chloe is barely holding it together.

Stacie’s never been pro-relationship for herself, but God, if Beca Mitchell isn’t the biggest idiot on the planet.

It all explodes at the retreat.

When Fat Amy tells Beca to “just tell her,” Stacie is disappointed it doesn’t end up being some grand confession of love.

(She guesses the internship makes sense, though.

Beca’s always gone for so long.)

And Stacie thinks this might be their impending doom, the drop they’ve all been waiting for.

But she’s relieved to be wrong when Chloe and Beca are making heart eyes at each other all throughout their campfire and smores session and Chloe breaks out into that dumb song Beca sang for her audition.

(Okay, so it was kind of cute.)

Stacie thinks Beca might finally figure her shit out.

And thinks are normal again when they return to Barden.

Beca and Chloe being Beca and Chloe again, in all the ways they used to be.

Stacie watches as Chloe’s eyes light up all the way at the sight of Beca. She notices the way they’re always together, now inseparable as they prepared to graduate and go to Worlds. She watches the way Chloe smiles at the way Beca interacts with Emily, the two of them working with each other to figure out the arrangement for Worlds. She looks on as Chloe rests a hand on Beca’s knee, her arm, her hand.

Stacie watches Beca, too. She notices the way she hardly even mentions Jesse, the way she grins wide when Chloe says something to her. She watches Beca wrap Chloe up in a hug when Chloe says she passed her Russian Lit final, and the way she doesn’t shy away when Chloe kisses her cheek after listening to Emily’s demo.

Stacie’s good at reading people.

She knows these two are in love.

They go to Copenhagen and win Worlds and wow, this is really it for them.

Emily will stay behind while the rest of them enter the real world.

They all agree to live in the Bella House for one more week after they return, just as a final goodbye to the place they’ve called home.

It’s bittersweet; they try to party it up, but things don’t move themselves so it’s a packing party of sorts throughout the week, boxes and duct tape everywhere.

Stacie is trying to figure out what she’s going to do with half of her books when Chloe abruptly announces, “I’m moving to New York with Beca.”

Stacie stands, looking to see Chloe leaning against the door frame of their shared bedroom. She raises an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

Chloe nods. “She um, she got a job at this recording company in New York and asked me to go with her.”

“That’s great Chlo,” Stacie tells her as a slow smile appears on her face. “Are you guys..?”

Because Stacie’s good at reading people, but Beca and Chloe have always been this way. She needs a confirmation.

Chloe shakes her head, pushing off of the door frame and walking into their cramped bedroom with piles of boxes scattered around. “No - I uh, no. She’s...still with Jesse.”

Stacie’s face falls a little. “Oh,” she frowns. “Are you sure then? About moving with her?”

Chloe sighs, sitting on her bed. “Yeah,” she nods. “Beca’s my best friend. I would do anything for her.”

Stacie twists her lips, regarding Chloe with a pensive look. “She’s really worth all of this to you, huh?”

Chloe gives her a sad yet hopeful smile. “She’s always going to be worth the wait.”

And it kind of breaks Stacie’s heart, the way Chloe has stuck it out for so long.

Stacie’s good at reading people.

She knows Chloe is in love with Beca.

She knows Beca is in love with Chloe, too.

God bless Chloe Beale, Stacie knows she’d never wait that long for someone to come to their senses.

(Stacie thinks Beca will though.

Even if it takes her a few more years.)

#ugh i just had FEELINGS okay #so u know #here's this #bechloe #minific #bechloe fic #stacie conrad

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